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Data from the .shrub layer of Riparian Woodland are presented <br />• in Table J10. <br />In the herbaceous layer, Cheatgrass, Western Wheatgrass (Agropyron <br />smithii), and Smooth Blue Aster (Aster Iaevis) are the most common <br />species. Quantitative data on the herbaceous layer of Riparian <br />Woodland stands are available in Table J11. Plant species not <br />occurring in quantitative sample plots but observed elsewhere <br />in the Riparian Woodland are listed in Table J12. <br />The cottonwood forests not only have been used for cattle and <br />sheep grazing, but have supplied local residents with building <br />materials as well. The cottonwood provided a ready source of <br />lumber for construction of cabins during the early periods of <br />settlement. Although the forests are no longer a source of lumber, <br />trees are cut today either to improve grazing or for firewood. <br />• The Cottonwood-Box Elder communities of the Riparian Woodland <br />type occur in narrow bands (up to 150 feet in width) along streams. <br />The shrub layer is relatively sparse: The most common shrub <br />species are Western Virgin's Bower (Clematis ligusticifolia) and <br />Wood's Rose (Rosa woodsii). Abundant saplings of Box Elder and <br />Narrowleaf Cottonwood provide most of the cover in the shrub <br />layer. Grazing has had considerable impact on this gallery forest <br />and grazed stands have fewer shrub species, less shrub cover, <br />and lower tree sampling densities than nongrazed stands. The her- <br />baceous layer of the gallery forests has the greatest species <br />diversity of the plant communities in Parachute Creek Valley. <br />Seventy-seven species were found in the understory of the forests; <br />Kentucky Bluegrass (POa pratensis), Common Dandelion (Taraxacum ~ <br />officinale), and Cheatgrass are the most common species. Cover <br />by herbs averaged 39 percent. <br />u <br />J-6 <br />