INTRODUCTION 



The Circle West vegetation monitoring program began in 1978 at the 

 request of Dreyer Brothers, Inc., to provide long-term monitoring of the 

 productivity of certain vegetation types in McCone County, Montana. 

 This study is essentially a continuation of the Circle West Baseline 

 Vegetation Study and 1978 Monitoring Study (Prodgers 1978, DNRC 1979). 



Aerial Production 



METHODS 



Twelve permanently fenced exclosures (figure 1) were sampled during 

 this study. (Note: exclosure No. 9, Juho/Ansc-Agsp, is shown in figure 1 

 but was not sampled in 1979). The 1979 productivity sampling procedures 

 were the same as those used in the 1977 and 1978. Sampling took place from 

 August 14, 1979 through August 24, 1979. The number of productivity samples 

 taken per exclosure was determined using 1977 and 1978 data. 



Frequency and Coverage 



Within each exclosure, twenty 20 cm x 50 cm plots were sampled for 

 plant coverage using the technique described by Daubenmire (1959). Cover- 

 age was estimated as accurately as possible; cover classes were not used. 

 Plots were located along topographic contours in series of ten. The same 

 plots were sampled in 1978. None of these plots have been clipped. 

 Color transparencies of each plot were taken at the time of sampling. 



RESULTS 



Aerial Production 



By early spring, the soil moisture regime in the exclosures appeared 

 to be good due to the rather moist winter (11.9 cm of precipitation at 

 Circle, Montana from Nov. 1, 1978 through March 31, 1979) and residual soil 

 moisture from the exceedingly moist summer of 1978. In 1979, May-June pre- 

 cipitation was 8.1 cm (3.2 inches) and April-July precipitation was 14.9 cm 

 (5.8 inches). The exclosure areas appeared to receive somewhat less pre- 

 cipitation, particularly in July. Grasshopper levels were generally moderate. 



