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• shrub cover is nearly identical (52.2 ~ vs. 51.2 ~ cover, respe`tively). Almost all the shrub <br />cover in the Mountain Brush reference area is comprised of Oambel osi: (22.2 ~ cover), <br />Saskatoon serviceberry (16.0 ~ cover), end mountain snowberry (1 1.3 £ cover), es is the <br />case in the study area <br />The major difference between the Mountain Brush reference area and the study area Mountain <br />Brush vegetation type is the greater abundance of perennial graminoids in the reference area <br />(22.7 vs. 10.9 ~ cover). The major components of reference area perennial graminoid cover <br />are Kentucky bluegrass (15.3 cover) andelk sedge (5.6 ~ cover). Perennial forb cover in <br />the Mountain Brush reference area totals 14.2 ~ ;major contributors to this cover are <br />beebalm (Mon r flstulosa, 4.0 ~ cover), nettleleef giant-hyssop (2.0 ~ cover), and bracY.en <br />fern (1.8 ~ cover). <br />Production in the Mountain Brush reference area totaled 72.7 gm / sq.m. (6481b/ azre). This <br />total is somewhat less then this vegetation type in the affected area (778 lb/acre) possibly due <br />to the relatively greater abundance of low-production short graminoids, especially elk sedge, <br />• and the relative scarcity of rank forb growth in the reference area. This difference is in turn <br />probably related to the fart that the slightly more than 50 ~ of the shrub cover in the reference <br />area is in the form of tellover-arching Oembel oak end Saskatoon serviceberry, while in the <br />study area, the nearly identical shrub cover is composed of compact, tense shrubs with <br />considerable well-lighted open cress between. The major species in the reference area <br />production data were elk sedge (13.3 gm / sq.m.), lentucky bluegrass (19.2 gm / sq.m.), and <br />beardless wildrye (8.0 gm / sG.m.). Important individual forb species included nettleleaf <br />Giant-hyssop, linear-leaved wormwood, and bee balm. <br />Average total shrub density in the Mountain Brush reference area was 68.3 stems / 50 sq.m <br />(5528 stems /acre). The major contributors to this total were Saskatoon serviceberry, <br />chokecherry, and Gambel oak. <br />3.1.7 S4GEBRUSH REFERENCE AREA <br />As was mentioned earlier in the description of the Sagebrush vegetation type, ii has sustained <br />. and continues to experience fairly heavy grazing use by livestock. By comparison, the <br />Sagebrush reference area (Figure 10) has received little or no grazing use since the late <br />-21- <br />