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• alnifolia and Prunus virginiana representing the tall shrubs. Of the species <br />encountered, all were perennial. All gtaminoid and fort species encountered were <br />identified as cool season. Woody species were divided in morphologic type, with <br />twelve being deciduous and two evergreen. Thirty-0ne species were native in origin <br />and three were introduced. None of the species encountered were designated noxious <br />weed species. The plant species encountered and their characteristics are presented m <br />Table 1. <br />Vegetation Cover <br />Total vegetation cover of the aspen community was 83.07 percent. Graminoids <br />provided 6.13 percent mean cover (8.85% relative cover), forbs accounted for 1.07 <br />percent mean cover (5.03% relative cover), and shrubs, subshrubs, and trees <br />represented 65.47 percent mean cover and 86.13 percent relative cover. A summary of <br />the cover sampling data are presented in Table 5. <br />As expected, the dominant plant species within the aspen community was Popu/us <br />tremuloides, providing 50.40 percent mean cover (46.55% relative cover). The <br />subdominant species occurred in the lower canopy and tall shrub layer. Amelanchier <br />alni(olia was the second most prevalent species, accounting for 6.93 percent mean <br />cover and 10.99 percent relative cover. Quercus gambelii with 5.73 percent total cover <br />(9.87% relative cover) and Prunus virgirriana with 3.33 percent total cover (7.08% <br />• relative) followed in cover. Symphoricarpos rorundifolius, within the medium height <br />shrub layer contributed significantly, with 3.20 percent total cover (6.24'90 relative). <br />Within the low herbaceous layer, only Carex geyeri contributed significantly to cover <br />in the community, accounting for 2.27 percent total cover and 4.00 percent relative <br />cover. The woody plant species present provided 79 percent of the total cover and 86 <br />percent of the relative cover. Of the six species providing greater than three percent <br />relative cover, five species were woody plants. The five woody species accounted for <br />nearly 70 percent of the total cover and over 80 percent of the relative cover. As with <br />the oalcbrush community, none of the fort species encountered provided significant <br />cover. <br />Vegetative litter (prior years growth, dead wood, and other biologic organic material) <br />comprised 16.93 percent ground cover within the aspen community. Neither rock nor <br />bare soil was encountered in the cover sampling. <br />Herbaceous Production <br />Table 6 illustrates results of herbaceous production sampling in the aspen community. <br />Mean total herbaceous production of the sampled quadrats within the aspen stands <br />within the study area was 96.66 g/m2 (861.6 Ib/ac). This was the highest mean value <br />• for herbaceous production among the sampled communities (Table 11). A plot of the <br />herbaceous production values shows a very broad and shallow normally distributed <br />-13- <br />