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Major species included two shrub species, alkali sagebrush and Douglas rabbitbrush. Two <br />grasses, prairie junegrass and bluebunch wheatgrass, and two forts, stonecrop and hoods phlox, <br />were also important components of this plant community. <br />Dominant plant lifefonns on the big sagebrush reference area were also shrubs and grasses, <br />together comprising 78 percent of the total vegetation cover. Shrubs made up over 26 percent <br />of the total ground cover and grasses comprised nearly 12 percent cover. Major species <br />included two shrub species, big sagebrush and Douglas rabbitbrush, three grasses, prairie <br />junegrass, Idaho fescue, and bluebunch wheatgrass, and one fort, hoods phlox. <br />The dominant plant lifefortn on the reclaimed area was perennial grasses. Perennial <br />grasses form the major lifefonn component with 31 percent ground cover. Forts made up <br />3.93% cover and shrubs totaled 2.59% cover. Western wheatgrass and Russian wildrye <br />together comprised over 13 percent ground cover. Thickspike wheatgrass made up between 5 <br />and 6 percent ground cover. These three species totaled just over 50 percent of the total <br />vegetation cover. Big sagebrush comprised just under 2.5 percent cover (6.5% relative cover). <br />Production: <br />Production averaged 131 pounds per acre on the alkali sagebrush reference area and 102.5 <br />pounds per acre on the big sagebrush reference area. Production on the reclaimed area far <br />exceeded native rangeland production, averaging 615.5 pounds per acre. The alkali sagebrush <br />reference area produced more herbaceous plant material than the big sagebrush reference area. <br />The dominant lifeform was perennial grasses, averaging 130 pounds per acre. The big <br />sagebrush reference area produced about 78 percent of the alkali sagebrush type and about 17 <br />percent of the reclaimed area herbaceous production. Perennial grasses were the dominant <br />lifefonn sampled. <br />The reclaimed area produced significantly more annual herbaceous plant material than the <br />two native rangeland reference areas. The reclaimed area averaged 470% more plant <br />production in 1996 than the alkali sagebrush reference area and 600% more production than the <br />big sagebrush reference area. As with both reference areas, perennial grasses were the <br />dominant lifefonn, averaging Heady 88 percent of the total vegetation production (the alkali <br />sagebrush averaged 99% and the big sagebrush reference area averaged 83% relative cover). <br />Shrub Density: <br />Total shrub density on the reclaimed area averaged 1263.5 individuals per acre. Big <br />sagebrush had the greatest number of individuals per acre followed by woods rose and douglas <br />rabbitbrush. <br />9 <br />