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overstory. Young aspen seedlings and saplings are found in these areas and these areas will likely see a <br />return to a denser more normal aspen tree overstory in the near future. Elk wallows (some up to an acre <br />in size) were found in nearly all of the dense aspen stands in the study area. <br />3.1.2 Aspen Reference Area <br />The Aspen reference area is located adjacent to the southwestern corner of vegetation study area <br />boundary (see Map V1). This area was selected for reference because of its easy access, low probability <br />of future disturbance, and it represents a majority of the variances that occur within the Aspen <br />community type. Review of Table V3 and Chart V1 indicates that the average vegetation cover of the <br />aspen reference area was 72.05%. Litter and rock provided an average of 19.1% and 0.0% of the <br />ground cover, respectively, while bare ground exposure averaged 8.85%. The dominant plant species <br />were mountain brome, blue wildrye, bluegrass, creepingroot violet (Viola rydbergii), povertyweed (Iva <br />axillaris) and nettleleaf giant hyssop with 16.4%, 15.2%, 5.4%, 5.2%, 4.4% and 3.6% of the ground <br />cover, respectively. Perennial plants (excluding noxious weeds) contributed 97% of the total plant cover <br />(70.05% average cover) while annual species and noxious weeds contributed 2.8% and 0.0% of the <br />composition, respectively. Perusal of Table V10 indicates that a total of 9 perennial species contributed <br />41 at least 3% relative cover or composition (3% is the typical lower limit for plant diversity bond release <br />evaluations). Three of those species were grasses, four were forbs, and the remaining two were shrubs. <br />Review of Tables V11 and Chart V3 indicates that the average herbaceous production of this area in <br />2005 was 1,110 pounds per acre, oven-dry weight. Ninety-eight percent (1,092 pounds per acre) of the <br />total herbaceous production is attributable to perennials, with grasses contributing 759 lbs./acre and <br />forbs providing 332 lbs./acre. Two percent (18 pounds per acre) of the total production is attributable to <br />annuals (all forbs). Noxious weeds were not found in or near any of the sampling quadrats in this <br />community. <br />Perusal of Tables V12 and Chart V4 indicates that the estimated woody plant density in this area <br />was 2,710 woody plants per acre. The shrub lifeform accounts for 77% of the total (2,088 plants per <br />acre) with sub-trees contributing 8% of the total (220 plants per acre) and the remaining 15% attributed <br />to trees (402 per acre). Chokecherry was the dominant woody species with 1,263 plants per acre <br />followed by mountain snowberry at 549 per acre. As indicated on Table V14, the density of aspen <br />averaged 172 trees per acre using the point-center-quarter method (again the difference between the <br />two values was due to aspen recruitment - trees smaller than 5 feet that were not recorded in the PCQ <br />• <br />CIEDAR COEI AW00AT ES, INC. Page 14 2005 Collom Vegetation Survey