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aspect, or it is a well-defined unit of dense hlontene Forest with <br />a very broad, highly complex transition between forest and <br />shrubland. In fact, because some of these forest species also <br />occur in the shrubland, virtually the entire site could be <br />thought of as a complex transitional vegetation vrith discreet <br />nodes at each end of the gradient. <br />The understory also exhibits these same patterns of continous <br />change from the typical understory of the Mountain Mahogany <br />Community and the typical understory of the h7ontane Forest on <br />steep north-facing slopes. The understory of the dense forest <br />areas has a cover of about 5-10 percent and primarily is composed <br />of a few scattered grasses and a little Fringed Sage. Juniperus <br />communis tends to become important in the shrub layer provided <br />light is good. In the densest parts of the forest there is <br />virtually no understory. <br />13~1S9iri~Q_~olwnunity. Along Clear Creek the vegetation <br />is distinctly different from that on the hillsides. ilere <br />DTarro~e~leaf Cottonwood ns yell as a fevr Aspen, Y,illovas and Alders <br />can be found. In some areas the streamside growth fingers up the <br />hillsides following the drainage courses. How far into the hills <br />it extends depends primarily upon the size of the drainage and <br />whether the drainage follows a general north-south line or more of <br />an east-west line. The latter ere more shaded, cooler sites, and <br />therefore the bottomland species can usually go further into the <br />hills. <br />33 <br />