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• Herbaceous Production Results of herbaceous production sampling in the oakbrush vegetation community aze presented in Table 3. Mean total herbaceous production of the sampled quadrats on the study azea was 84.4 g/m2 (752.3 lb/ac). Herbaceous production quadrat weights were highly variable, with the standazd deviation being 50 percent of the value of the herbaceous production mean. When plotted, the herbaceous production values illustrate a very broad, flat normal distribution. Savage and Savage (1996) noted a highly variable distribution for total herbaceous production within adjacent oakbrush stands at the West Elk Mine, and attributed the production variability to canopy density, which limited available sunlight to the understory. This also appears to be true in this oakbrush community location. Woody Plant Density Woody plant density in the oakbrush community was dominated by five species. (Table 4). One species predominated in the canopy, Quercus gambelii. Quercus gambeiii accounted for 31.8 percent of all woody plants with 123.26 individuals per 100 square meter (4988 per acre). The remaining dominant species were found in the mid-level stratum. In descending order, Symphoricarpos rotundifolius accounted for 103.48 individuals per 100 square meters (4187 per acre), Prunus virginiana individuals totaled 65.42 individuals per 100 square meters (2647lacre), Amelanchier alnifolia • provided 51.72 individuals per 100 square meters (2093 per acre), and Rnsa uoodsii individuals accounted for 39.2 individuals per 100 square meters (1586 per acre). Ren,a;ning woody plant species encountered during density sampling accounted for less than 2.5 individuals per 100 square meters each. Thirteen woody plant species were encountered during density sampling in the oakbrush community. Species Diversity Within the oakbrush community cover sampling, four lifeforms were represented; graminoids, forts, woody shrubs and trees. The lifeforms included four species of perennial grasses, fifteen perennial forts, and eight woody shrubs, and two trees. Of the 29 species encountered during cover sampling, 27 were native (two grasses, fifteen forts, and ten woody plants) and two were introduced (two grasses). As would be expected in a largely undisturbed old age shrub dominated community, introduced species accounted for only 2.53 percent of the mean vegetation cover. Seasonality of oakbrush species was predominantly cool season, with one perennial fort being identified as warm season. Woody species were predominantly deciduous, with three species being evergreen. Table 1 provides a listing and characterization of the plant species encountered during cover sampling at the study area. Six species of the 29 encountered during cover sampling accounted for greater than • three percent relative cover. Five of the svc species were woody plants. These species included; Quercus gambelti with 47.37 percent relative cover, Amelanchier alnifolia -lo-