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species was found, with the remaining species being cool season. Deciduous species <br />• outnumbered evergreen species in the woody plants by a margin of twelve to five. <br />Seven of the forty-three species were introduced. None of the species encountered <br />were designated noxious weed species. The plant species encountered and their <br />characteristics are presented in Table 1. <br />Vegetation Cover <br />Vegetation cover in the riparian community was the highest of the three communities <br />sampled at 84.13 percent (Table 8, 11). Graminoid species accounted for 11.07 <br />percent mean cover (12.37% relative covet), forts species contributed 7.20 percent <br />mean cover (7.92% relative cover), and shrubs, subshrubs, and trees represented 65.87 <br />percent mean cover and 79.72 percent relative cover. Cover sampling results are <br />summarized in Table 8. <br />The dominant plant species within the riparian community was Acer negundo, a <br />hydrophytic tree species characteristic of riparian and moist canyon locations in the <br />west. This species provided 25.60 percent mean cover (27.495'0 relative cover). Two <br />tree species can be characterized as subdominant in the riparian community; Picea <br />pungens and Populus angustifolia. These species accounted for 15.07 percent total <br />cover and 11.33 percent total cover respectively (18.68% and 12.2850 relative cover, <br />respectively). Symphoricatpos rotundifolius, was the most significant contributor <br />• within the medium height shrub strata, with 2.80 percent total cover and 3.91 percent <br />relative cover. Three additional species were notable in the medium shrub strata, in <br />that they only occurred in the riparian community, Cntaegus riwlaris, Betu/a <br />tontinalis, and Salix monticola. Mahonia repens, Paxistima myrsinites, and luniperus <br />communtys (juniper) were present in small numbers within the low shrub layer. Within <br />the herbaceous layer, two introduced mesic species predominated, Poa pratensis and <br />Dactylis g/omerata. Poa pratensis provided 5.07 percent total cover and 5.96 percent <br />relative cover, while Dactylis glomerata accounted for 3.60 percent total and 3.56 <br />percent relative cover. As with the other communities sampled, woody plants <br />dominated vegetative cover in the community by their presence in the upper canopy <br />layers, accounting for 78 percent of the total cover and 79 percent of the relative cover. <br />Fort species provide greater cover in the riparian community than in the other <br />communities sampled (Table 11). Total fort cover was the highest of all communities <br />sampled (7.20% total and 7.925'0 relative). <br />Vegetative litter (prior years growth, dead wood, and other biologic organic material) <br />comprised 15.33 percent ground cover within the riparian community. Rock provided <br />0.27 percent cover and bare soil represented 0.13 percent of the total cover. <br />Cryptogams (lichens, mosses, and bryophytes) provide 0.13 percent total cover. <br /> <br />-18- <br />