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<br />most of the major moody species in this area are found as understory <br />in much of the aspen type. The average forage cover to a 60 inch height <br />was about 52 percent which was made up of 35 percent grass, 18 percent <br />forbs, and 47 percent shrubs. The thickness of brush and steepness of <br />slope, in some cases, would restrict grazing. <br />The total dry matter herbage yield was estimated to be about 1070 <br />pounds per acre with about 321 pounds of usable herbage without utiliza- <br />tion cuts for rough terrain and thick brush. When considering these <br />utilization cuts only 193 pounds per acre were considered usable. There- <br />fore, the average grazing capacity was calculated to be about 5 acres per <br />AUM (950# per AUM 193 = 4.92). <br />Like the aspen type the mountain brush type was considered to be in <br />good range condition and sustaining this expression without any noticeable <br />• trend. <br />The sagebrush-grass areas occupied the tidges, the alluvial fans and <br />the rather small drainage areas. For the most part the azeas were gently <br />rolling to gently sloping that varied from 5 percent to perhaps 20 percent <br />slope. The average foliage cover was about 45 percent which consisted of <br />49 percent grass, 17 percent forbs, and 34 percent shrubs. Most of this <br />area is readily accessible to livestock. The average total yield of herb- <br />age was estimated to be about 975 pounds per acre of which 244 pounds were <br />considered usable. Thus the grazing capacity would be about 4 acres per <br />animal unit month (950# per AUM 244 = 3.89). <br />There are local areas where livestock have apparently been concentrated <br />from time to time that are considered to be in only fair condition but this <br />vegetation type (sagebrush-grass), for the most part, is in good condition <br />without any apparent changes in trend at the present time. Even the local <br />areas showing some past ab.ise still have good vegetation vigor of the desir- <br />able forage species. <br />• <br />II.A-6 <br />