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• Quantitative Measurements <br />e. • Sampling Design - The herbaceous reference area possessed three ,dominant <br />aspects: northeast, southwest and flat. Vegetation data were obtained such <br />, that analysis of cover and production of the three different aspects could be <br />noted and the data pooled for the entire reference area. <br />The northeast aspect possessed a 23 percent slope and is referred to as <br />Area #1 in the data sheets. The flat aspect possessed a slope ranging from <br />0-12 percent and will be referred to as Area #2 in the data sheets. The <br />southwest aspect had a 19 percent slope and will be referred to as Area #3 in <br />the data sheets. <br />,. <br />-; Production and cover data were obtained simultaneously utilizing a lm2 <br />~ circular quadrat placed at random throughout the reference area. Fourteen <br />._ quadrats were sampled for these parameters in the northeast aspect, 21 in the <br />flat aspect and 13 in the southwest aspect for a total of 48 quadrats. Vegeta- <br />tion sampling took place from July 7 to July 8, 1982. <br />Cover and production sample locations were protected from grazing through <br />the use of 5 feet tall circular cages covering an approximate 1.5m2 area. <br />•.~ Cages were made of heavy gauge welded wire fencing material and were perma- <br />nently staked in place. Cages were placed in the field on April 4, 1982 prior <br />:, to domestic livestock grazing. <br />~~ Production Data - Production data was obtained from quadrats by harvesting <br />above ground current years' growth of forbs and grasses. The dominant forb <br />and grass species were harvested separately and included western wheatgrass, <br />thistle and yellow sweetclover. Other forb and grass species were separated <br />by their respective life form groups which included miscellaneous annual <br />grasses, miscellaneous annual forbs and miscellaneous perennial forbs. Har- <br />vested tissue was placed in paper bags and later returned to the laboratory <br />where they were oven dried at 105°C for 24 hours and weighed to the nearest <br />-~ tenth of a gram. <br />__ Cover - Ground cover was evaluated in each quadrat by ocularly estimating <br />the percent cover of vegetation, litter, rrocE: and bare ground to the nearest <br />whole percent. Cover of vegetation was recorded individually for each species, <br />however, an estimate of Lotal vegetation cover was also made, <br /> <br />- 7- <br />