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increased. It is interesting that in the Mountain Brush Reference Area, herbaceous production <br />• decreased although total herbaceous cover increased slightly (1.2 percent). <br />The abundant herbaceous production of the reclaimed areas provides a significant grazing <br />resource. For the most part, woody species, especially old growth of the taller species, offer <br />little that grazing domestic animals find attractive as browse. The reclaimed areas as they <br />presently exist are closely compatible with the objectives of livestock growers, and may also be <br />very compatible with the needs of wild ungulate grazers such as elk. The latter apparently find <br />that the herbaceous production of the reclaimed areas conforms to their gustatory and other <br />habitat needs as evidenced by accounts of mine personnel citing the abundance of elk, <br />especially during the winter, and the abundance, during summer sampling, of their scat <br />throughout many parts of the reclamation. Deer, commonly present in the reclamation as well, <br />will benefit from the herbaceous production in the reclaimed areas during spring, summer, and <br />fall. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse established a lek in herbaceous-dominated reclamation in <br />1995 and continued to use it in 1996 and 1997. <br />• The usefulness of reclaimed area herbaceous production can be assessed by determining the <br />proper livestock stocking rates based on measured herbaceous production. The estimated <br />stocking rates for the reclaimed and reference areas in 1997 are as follows: <br />Reclaimed Unit AUM /acre <br />1990 Reclaimed Areas 1.8 <br />Mountain Brush Ref. Area 0.6 <br />Sagebrush Ref. Area 1.0 <br />The above calculations were based on a proper use factor of 50 percent and one animal unit <br />requiring 810 pounds of forage per month. <br />The SCS has estimated annual production values for the mountain loam range site <br />(corresponding to the Sagebrush type) and the brushy foam type (corresponding to the <br />Mountain Brush type). These estimates are contained in the range site descriptions for these <br />units. For the mountain loam range site, production of sites in excellent condition during an <br />• average precipitation year is 1,125 pounds per acre or 0.7 AUM per acre (with 50 percent <br />16 <br />