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Production plots were sampled using a lmz welded aluminum frame quadrat <br />• centered within each exclosure. All present-year vegetation growth <br />falling within the lm2 quadrat Was clipped using pnining shears (shrubs) <br />and grass scissors (fortis and grasses). All shrubs were clipped near <br />ground level to ensure accurate separation of the present year's growth <br />in the laboratory prior to drying and weighing. The current year's growth <br />clipped from each protected quadrat was bagged according to major spe- <br />cies or life form and properly labeled. Wet weights were recorded for <br />all species except shrubs using spring scales at the time of clipping. <br />Since separation of new from old growth was not perfornied in the field <br />for shrubs, recording of accurate wet weights for shrubs was precluded. <br />laboratory Techniques. The current year's growth was separated fran all <br />shrub, sub-shrub and cushion plant species in the laboratory. All sam- <br />ples were dried for 24 hours in a gravity drying oven at a constant tem- <br />perature of 105°C. All samples dried in this manner were weighed to the <br />nearest 0.1 gm on an Ohaus triple beam balance. Production data were re- <br />corded according to major species and/or life form for each sample site <br />• on standard data forms. <br />VEGEI'ATIOI9 SPECIES COMPOSITION <br />Reconnaissance type surveys were conducted within the revegetation plot <br />to obtain a oo~lete listing of vegetation species for the study azea. <br />Surveys were conducted by a plant taxonomist during a minimum of two days <br />each month throughout the growing season (early May through August). A <br />plant voucher collection was prepared for all plant species identified <br />during this study. For each plant collected, date, habitat, elevation <br />and associated species were recorded. Questionable plants were positively <br />identified at the Rocky Nbuntain Herbarium in Taramie, Wyaning or at the <br />U.S. Forest Service Herbarium in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Taxonanic <br />references consulted for plant identification purposes included Hitchcock, <br />et al (1959), Hitchcock and Chase (1971), Harrington (1959) and Dorn <br />(1977) . <br />• <br />-7- <br />