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Production <br />No aflatfa was recorded in this units production samples. All other herbaceous species produced <br />an average of 781.6 oventlry pounds of biomass per acre (Table 20). <br />No shrub density data were collected in the reference areas. <br />Sagebrush Reference Area (Photograph 30) <br />Cover <br />Native shrubs dominated this reclamation unit with 39.2 percent of total vegetation cover <br />(Table 21). Nearly half of this percentage was big sagebrush, but mountain snowberry was <br />also abundant. Saskatoon serviceberry, Douglas rabbilbrush, and silver sagebrush also <br />contributed measurably to this lifeform's total vegetation cover. Native perennial cool season <br />grasses and grass-like plants contributed 31.8 percent of total vegetation cover, most of which <br />was sheep fescue. Agassiz bluegrass was also important. Other species contributing measurably <br />to total vegetation cover were oniongrass, Montana wheatgrass, slender wheatgrass, Letterman <br />needlegrass, and Nelson needlegrass. Species present but not quantitatively encountered <br />included ticklegrass (Agrostis scabra), Canada brome, sun sedge, mountain brome, bottlebrush <br />squirreltail (E(ymus elymoides), big bluegrass, and bluebunch wheatgrass. Although <br />introduced perennial cool season grasses did not contribute measurably to total vegetation cover, <br />two species, timothy and Kentucky bluegrass, were present. <br />Native perennial fortis, the most diverse lifeform, contributed 27.3 percent of total vegetation <br />cover. Four species, weedy milkvetch, fringed thistle (Cirsium centaureael, one-flower <br />woodsunflower, and Pacific aster accounted for more than half of this lifeform's relative <br />vegetation cover. Other species contributing to total vegetation cover included western yarrow, <br />nettle-leaf giant hyssop, big-flowered onion, pearly everlasting (Anaohalis margaritacea), <br />bracted aster, showy fleabane, subalpine wildbuckwheat, goosegrass, white-flowered peavine, <br />common yampa, hastate scorpionweed (Phacelia hastatal, James starwort, lambstongue <br />groundsel, and American vetch. Species present but not contributing measurably to total <br />vegetation cover were blue flax, smallleaf pussytoes (Antennaria parvifolia), two-groove <br />milkvetch (Astragalus bisulcatg~), Gunnison mariposa-lily (Calochortus gunnisonii), scarlet <br />paintbrush (Castilleia miniata), groundsmoke, alumroot, peppergrass (Lepidium montanuml, <br /> <br />21 <br />