this type. Hann (1982) sampled 14 successional communities within the 



Fes ida/Agr spi habitat type in western Montana, and reported 



2 

 production values ranging from 53.4 to 116.2 grams/meter . His Fes 



2 

 ida/Agr spi community totalled 98.4 grams/meter , which is comparable 



to results of other investigators. 



The Fes ida/Agr spi habitat type occurred on the Ac and Ad gravelly 

 silty loam soils, 15-50 percent slope and greater than 50 percent 

 slope. 



Idaho Fescue/Bearde d Wheatp ra ss (Fes ida/Anr can) Habitat Type . The 



Fes ida/Agr can type is found on concave, moderate slopes of relatively 

 warm aspect. It occurs at elevations of 7000 to 7700 feet in the 

 permit area. Graminoid cover averaged 77 percent for one transect 

 sampled in the type (Table 2). Dominant graminoids (and percent cover) 

 were bluegrasses (primarily Kentucky bluegrass, Poa pratensis , 57), 

 bearded wheatgrass ( Aoropyron can in urn , 10), California brome ( Broims . 

 £9 n rictus,, 6), prairie junegrass (2) and alpine timothy ( Phle um 

 fl pi num., 1). These sites apparently represent degraded seres of the 

 Fes ida/Agr can habitat type, where mid-grasses such as Idaho fescue, 

 timber oatgrass and Columbia needlegrass have been largely replaced by 

 Kentucky bluegrass due to historic grazing pressure. However, the 

 indicator species bearded wheatgrass and California brome were 

 conspicuous. Forb cover, which averaged 40 percent, is often lower in 

 this type than other habitat types in the Idaho fescue and rough fescue 



1? 



