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1995 Rec/aimed Area <br />(Photographs 1 through 4) <br />Cover (Table 1) <br />Native perennial cool season grasses were the dominant lifeform in this reclaimed area, <br />comprising 36.2 percent of total vegetation cover. Slender wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus) was <br />this lifeform's major contributor and accounted for one-third of this its cover. Mountain brome <br />(Ceratochloa carinata) and green needlegrass (Nassella viridula) each contributed nearly one- <br />fourth. Introduced annual grasses (nearly all of which was Japanese brome (i3romus japonicus)) <br />were the next most abundant lifeform with 24.5 percent of total vegetation cover. Introduced <br />perennial cool season grasses provided 12.8 percent of total vegetation cover. Orchard grass <br />(Dactylis glomerata) contributed most of this lifeform's total. Native perennial (orbs contributed <br />15.7 percent of total vegetation cover. Blue flax (Adenolinum lewisii) was the most abundant <br />native perennial forb and contributed more than one-half of this Iifeform's vegetation cover. <br />Introduced annual and biennial forbs contributed 8.4 percent to total vegetation cover. Salsify <br />(Tragopogon dubius ssp. major) was the most abundant species in this lifeform category, <br />contributing nearly two-thirds of its cover. Minor contributors included, prickly lettuce (Lactuca <br />serriola), devil's shoestrings (Polygonum arenastrum), two-lobe speedwell (Pocilla biloba), and <br />Jim Hill mustard (Sisymbrium altissimum). Introduced perennial forbs accounted for 1.3 percent <br />of total vegetation cover. Alfalfa was the main contributor. Native annual and biennial forbs <br />accounted for 0.8 percent of total vegetation cover while native shrubs contributed 0.3 percent. <br />Total vegetation cover was 38.0 percent. Standing dead, litter, bare soil, and rock cover values <br />were 2.6, 23.7, 32.5 and 32 percent, respectively. Species density averaged 31.2 species per <br />100 sq. m. <br />Herbaceous Production (Table 2) <br />Total herbaceous production for all species averaged 662.9 pounds per acre. <br />Woody Plant Density (Table 3) <br />Native shrubs averaged 226.6 individuals per acre. Snowberry (Symphoricarpos rotundifolius) <br />contributed nearly one-half of this lifeform's total. Wood's rose (Rosa woodsiq, big sagebrush <br />(Seriphidium tridentatum) Saskatoon serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) and Rubber rabbitbrush <br />(Chrysothamnus nauseosus) accounted for the balance. <br />Aspen Extended Reference Area <br />(Photographs 5 through 8) <br />Cover (Table 4) <br />Native shrubs accounted for 33.0 percent of total vegetation cover. Saskatoon serviceberry <br />contributed more than two-fifths of this total. Mountain snowberry accounted for nearly one-third <br />of this total. Other contributing species were chokecherry (Padus virginiana), Rocky Mountain <br />maple (ACer glabrum), and Gambel's oak (Quercus gambelii). The native tree, quaking aspen <br />(POpulus tremuloides), contributed 25.5 percent of total vegetation cover. Native perennial forbs <br />accounted for 22.5 percent of total vegetation cover. Cutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia ampla), <br />mountain bluebells (Mertensia ciliata), American vetch (Vicia americans), nettle-leaf giant hyssop <br />(Agastache urticifolia), western aniseroot (Osmorhiza occidentalis), and serrate groundsel <br />(Senecio Serra) accounted far more than half of this total. The remaining half was comprised of <br />minor contributions from thirty-three other species. Native perennial cool season grasses <br />accounted for 16.3 percent of total vegetation cover. Blue wildrye (Elymus glaucus) was the <br />dominant species in this lifeform and averaged more than two-thirds of the total. <br />