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• As a result of a second year of lower than average precipitation, before and during the <br />growing season and a late spring frost, production was significantly lower than normal. Little <br />grazing was noted in 2001 on the plots. The visual evaluation indicated seeded perennial <br />species were in poor condition with minimal plant vigor. Vegetative production from perennial <br />grass and forts was 504 Ib./acre (dry weight is the standard reporting unit) versus 473 Ibs.J <br />acre in 2000, 782 Ib./acre in 1999, and 1764 Ib./acre in 1998, (see Table 5-3). Production <br />from perennial grass was more productive in 2001 then the forts, which were significantly <br />lower than nomtal. Alfalfa ~ ~ production continued to decrease from 1997 to 2001. <br />However, cheatgrass production in 2001 increased slightly from 2000. <br />In addition to vegetative production sampling, species percent cover data was also obtained. <br />• Results of the topsoil percent cover plots indicate 2001 perennial grass cover increased (1%), <br />perennial forts decreased (-7%), weeds and shrubs increased slightly. Annual grass Bromus <br />tectorum) increased (1%) (see Table 5~). The percent cover changes were similar to results <br />for production. <br />Perennial grass was able to maintain a 42% vegetative cover doing better than forts with <br />a 5% cover or weeds during a second dry year. The dominant perennial species based <br />on percent cover were Russian wildrye, green needlegrass, alfalfa, wheatgrasses <br />(riparian, slender, western, and thickspike), and Basin wildrye. Average grass production <br />• <br />27 <br />