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a tape measure 25 times at onemeter intervals. At ach frame placement, <br />.V live oointintercept readings were recorded. Points were observed at 20cm <br />intervals across the frame. Thus, each transect estimate consisted of <br />recording 125 pointintercept readings over the 25m distance. In the wet <br />meadow community, intercepts were recorded at lOcm intervals along the <br />frame,_ bu~~~me placements were every t_w_o meters along_the_.tap~_aad_a <br />*^+ ~ ^f_ ~?e ro' +-'*++~rs~gts were recorded. <br />- -~~ <br />2.5 Density of Woody Vegetation <br />Density counts of woody vegetation were made in quadrats contiguous with <br />the 25m tape just described. Shrubs were counted in 2 x 25m quadrats. <br />Aspen trees were counted in 10 x 25m quadrats and Gambel oak were <br />counted in 4 x 25m quadrats. These quadrat sizes were chosen so that <br />the count of trees or shrubs in each quadrat would be sufficiently high so <br />that variability between quadrats would be minimized. If more density <br />counts were necessary than herbaceous cover estimates, the additional <br />density count quadrats were located separately. <br />• All live woody plants were counted in each quadrat. In the aspen and oak <br />brush communities, shrubs more than 2m tall were counted with trees. <br />Aspen and oak seedlings and saplings less than 2m tall were counted in <br />the shrub category. For all species, the intent was to count individual <br />plants rather than the total number of stems. Multistemmed plants such as <br />snowberry were counted as a single indiviual when two or more basal stems <br />radiated more or less from the same point on the ground. Thus, clumps <br />of snowberry were counted as one or several plants, dependent on the <br />observer's judgement, rather than the hundred or more stems which might <br />actually be present. Single or multistemmed shrubs and trees were counted <br />individually whenever they were sufficiently separated from each other to <br />be individually recognized. <br />2.6 Statistical Analysis <br />All sampling methodologies were the same on both the mine area plant <br />communities and on the reference areas. Therefore, data can be sta- <br />tistically compared for each of the two sites for each plant community. <br />I <br />