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galleta, salina wildrye,' slender wheatgrass, creeping wildrye 61_ymu�j <br /> t,z4 ttcoide,j, and a I ka I i sacaton Spo.2vbo.luj cu2videj. <br /> Annual grasses and forbs provide a cover which varies greatly <br /> from year to year, depending on moisture conditions. Cover by cheatgrass <br /> is locally abundant butioverall is noticeably less than in the Sagebrush/ <br /> Cheatgrass Shrubland. <br /> Ircluded in the Shadscale Shrubland mapping unit on the <br /> uppermost slopes are some small areas dominated by talus from the over- <br /> lying sandstone caprock. The species composition of this habitat is <br /> similar to the above described community in general , but cover is even <br /> more sparse. <br /> 3.2.3 Pinyon/Juniper Woodland <br /> Across the canyon on the northeast-facing slopes where soil <br /> parent material is primarily a resistant sandstone, the major vegeta- <br /> tional cover is Pinyon/Jiuniper Woodland. <br /> Visually dominant in this community are Utah juniper and <br /> pinyon pine. The slopes are fairly steep and face northeast . Therefore, <br /> moisture conditions are more favorable in this stand than in most <br /> pinyon/juniper woodlands at this elevation. These favorable moisture <br /> conditions provide suitable habitat for some of the taller semi-arid <br /> shrub species, including Utah sery i ceberry Ame.lanch.ierz cf.. u-tahenj4.4, <br /> true mountain mahogany Qeiccocanpuj mo tanuj, skunkbush sumac 2huj <br /> 2 avmat.i ca ssp. -tfr .ioba.ta, and s i ng I e I ea f ash Fizaxlnu-i anomata. The <br /> abundance of black sagebrush in the understory is also indicative of <br /> relatively mesic conditions. Other woody plants present include green <br /> ephedra, broom snakewee , antelope bitterbrush, winterfat K2ajcheninnikov4a <br /> .lanata, prickly g i l i a L ptodactc..lvn cf.. pungen4, and Hood's phlox <br /> Phlox hoodi4. <br /> The perenni t grass cover is moderately extensive and comosed <br /> entirely of bunchgrasse including slender wheatgrass, salina wildrye, <br /> Indian ricegrass, Sandberg bluegrass, and mutton bluegrass Poa <br /> ,fendle24ana. The latter is frequently the most abundant of the grasses. <br /> As in much of the study area, perennial forb cover is <br /> extremely low. Cheatgrass is also locally abundant and is the major <br /> annual species present . <br /> 3.2.4 Black Sagebrush Shrubland <br /> The Black Sagebrush Shrubland is also found on the northeast- <br /> facing slopes of the canyon. In composition, this vegetation type is <br /> similar to Pinyon/Juniper Woodland except for the absence of pinyon and <br /> juniper. In fact, based on the occurrence pattern of the black sagebrush <br /> stands and their ecological similarity to Pinyon/Juniper Woodland, it <br /> is possible the Black Sagebrush Shrubland may once have been Pinyon/ <br /> Juniper Woodland in which fire eliminated the trees. <br /> 'I -12- <br />