SUMMARY 



The vegetation baseline study was designed to provide information neces- 

 sary for the prediction and measurement of possible impacts to vegetation re- 

 sulting if a strip mine and a coal conversion facility is located in the area 

 in and surrounding the Dreyer Brothers Ranch near Circle, Montana. The De- 

 partment of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) was contracted to gather 

 this information, although the Department of State Lands is the responsible 

 state agency administering Montana's Strip Mine Reclamation Act. Although 

 this baseline study will provide the information necessary to adequately eval- 

 uate strip-mine reclamation and the widespread vegetation-related considera- 

 tion of a coal conversion facility located in the study area, this broad base- 

 line work may not be adequate to evaluate the impacts on vegetation in the 

 immediate area of a coal conversion facility. More vegetation baseline work 

 may have to be completed under the Major Facility Siting Act to evaluate the 

 local vegetation-related impacts, once a specific site for a coal conversion 

 facility has been selected. 



In 1976 a reconnaissance sampling of vegetation in the study area was 

 undertaken, with emphasis on the vegetation on and near the Dreyer Brothers, 

 Inc. ranch. These data were used to develop a classification of vegetation 

 using cluster analysis, a technique which graphically portrays affinities and 

 groupings of vegetation samples based on their floristic similarities. 



The classification resulted in recognition of twenty-seven community types, 

 or grouping of communities based on species composition as measured by coverage. 

 Each type was discussed with respect to species composition, structure, species 

 diversity and site. Techniques and results were explained. In addition, pro- 

 ductivity data was gathered and summarized for the major community types found 

 in the proposed mine area. 



The community types were also used as mapping units for vegetation maps, 

 which have been prepared at a scale of 1:12,000 and 1:4800 for the area in and 

 near the Dreyer Bros., Inc. ranch. A range condition map has been made for 

 the proposed mine area. Although these maps have not been distributed with 

 this report because of the expense of reproducing them and the limited number of 

 potential users, copies have been provided to Dreyer Bros, Inc. The DNRC will 

 provide copies to other interested individuals upon request. 



A list of plant species encountered in the study area with the exception 

 of cultivated and ornamental plants has been compiled, and may be found in 

 Appendix B. 



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