Laserfiche WebLink
of higher elevations. Soils are very similar to those under the sagebrush com- <br />• munity, except that they are a little deeper and darker. <br />This community ranges in height from 6 to 10 feet and is generally domi- <br />nated by gambel oak. Occasional co-dominants are chokecherry (Prunus vir i- <br />niana) and serviceberry on the more mesic north- and east-facing slopes. <br />Snowberry always contributes a significant proportion of the cover, and aspen <br />groves are occasionally mixed with this type. <br />The understory is composed of smaller shrubs (same species as above), <br />several forts including western yarrow (Achilles millefolium) and larkspur <br />(Delphinium sp.), and occasional grasses such as bluegrasses and fescues <br />(Festuca spp.). This stratum averages approximately 50 percent cover while the <br />overstory ranges from 60 to 100 percent. Total cover may range from 75 to 150 <br />• percent but averages around 95 percent. <br />Potential productivity of the Mountain Shrub 1 type is estimated on the <br />basis of SCS descriptions to range from 1200 to 2300 pounds per acre and avera- <br />ges around 1500 pounds per acre in excellent condition. <br />Although the Mountain Shrub type exhibits different species composition <br />according to prevailing site conditions, most variations of this type are rela- <br />tively similar with respect to their habitat value for wildlife and effects on <br />surface hydrology. Individual wildlife species, however, may exhibit strong <br />preferences for particular variations of the Mountain Shrub type. <br />Mountain Shrub 2 communities occupy approximately 10 percent of the study <br />area. This type is only found on the steep, south-facing slopes and areas of <br />rock outcrop. Soils (a cryorthent-cryoboroll complex) are rocky, shallow, <br />• highly eroded, and have poor to moderate development. <br />- 126 - (Rev. 5/86) <br />