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one fort are also major components of this reference area plant community: prairie junegrass at <br />3.2% (7% relative cover), Idaho feswe at 1.84% cover, bluebunch wheatgrass at 1.6%, and <br />hoods phlox at 1.76% cover <br />Reclaimed Area: <br />The dominant plant lifeform on the reclaimed area was perennial grasses. Perennial <br />grasses form the major lifefortn component with 31 percent ground cover (nearly 83% of the total <br />vegetation cover) while shrubs were the major lifeform in the two reference areas. Forts make <br />up 3.93% cover (10.45% relative cover) and shrubs total 2.59% cover (nearly 7% relative cover). <br />Western wheatgrass and Russian wildrye together comprised over 13 percent ground cover <br />(over 35% of the total vegetation cover). Thickspike wheatgrass made up between 5 and 6 <br />percent ground cover (14 to 15 percent relative cover). These three species totaled just over 50 <br />percent of the total vegetation cover. Big sagebrush comprised just under 2.5 percent cover <br />(6.5% relative cover). <br />Production: <br />Production averaged 131 pounds per acre (147 kg/ha) on the alkali sagebrush reference <br />area and 102.5 pounds per acre (115 kg/ha) on the big sagebrush reference area. Production <br />on the reclaimed area far exceeded native rangeland production, averaging 615.5 pounds per <br />acre (690 kg/ha). Shrubs were not sampled for annual production; the following comparisons <br />are for perennial grasses, (orbs, and half shrubs. <br />AIkaG Sagebrush Reference Area: <br />The alkali sagebrush reference area actually produced more herbaceous plant material <br />than the big sagebrush reference area. Visual observations would have indicated just the <br />opposite. The dominant lifefonn was perennial grasses, averaging 14.52 g/m' or 130 pounds <br />per acre (99% relative herbaceous production). <br />Big Sagebrush Reference Area: <br />The big sagebrush reference area produced 11.494 g/m ' total herbaceous production or <br />about 78 percent of the alkali sagebrush type and about 17 percent of the reclaimed area <br />herbaceous production. Perennial grasses were the dominant lifefonn sampled for production, <br />averaging 9.55 g/m' (85 pounds per acre) or 83 percent relative herbaceous production. <br />Reclaimed Area: <br />The redaimed area produced significantly more annual herbaceous plant material than the <br />two native rangeland reference areas. In fact, the reGaimed area averaged 470% more plant <br />6 <br />