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• sites. However, the chokecherry type did not extend to many of the drier <br />aspects on which sagebrush occurred. It occupied areas which generally <br />had more moisture and, therefore, supported greater vegetation cover. In <br />its most dense aspects, chokecherries were regularly over 2m tall and the <br />stand was nearly impossible to walk through. Aside from chokecherry, <br />major species occurring here were snowberry, foothills brome, bluegrass, <br />wild tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus), yarrow, and prostrate knotweed <br />(Polygonum vaiculare). <br />On the mine area, chokecherry vegetation primarily occurred in the central <br />portion, samples were distributed among the several stands (Figure 1). <br />Only one suitable reference area was found, as marked on the figure, <br />other areas either had inappropriate vegetation composition or a potential <br />for future mining-related disturbance. The reference area was in a shal- <br />low draw just east of the mine pit limit. <br /> <br />3.6.1 Herbaceous Biomass <br />Fitteen plots were clipped on both the mine area and the reference area. <br />The mean total dry weight biomass was almost the same on both areas as <br />measured at 75.3 ± 23.1 g/ml the mine area (Table C.1) and 76.1 ± <br />16.9 g/m2 on the reference area (Table C.2). Both these measurements <br />satisfied the appropriate sta*istical requirements. Major grass species <br />were foothills brome and bluegrass, together comprising nearly 40$ o* <br />biomass on the reference area and more than 60$ of the total on the mine <br />area. Numerous forb species also occurred, the most abundant of these <br />were false tarragon on the reference area and silvery lupine on the mine <br />area. <br />3.6.2 Herbaceous Cover <br />Compared with other sampled areas, herbaceous cover was quite high in <br />the chokecherry type. Total foliage cover on the mine area averaged <br />66.0$ ± 6.2 and on the reference area it was 73.7$ # 2.1 (Tables C.3 and <br />C.4, respectively). Four transects were measured on the mine area and <br />three were measured on the reference area (Figure 1); both sets of sam- <br />• pies met the statistical adequacy requirements. As with the biomass <br />measurements, foothills brome and bluegrass were the two most important <br />