Our sampled stand appears to be a serai community, consistent with the interpretation of Hansen and 

 Hoffman (1988). They hypothesized that PINPON/SCHSCO communities become established in 

 SCHSCO-CARFIL stands where pine has been previously eliminated by fire that succeed to other 

 Pinus ponderosa habitat types. The presence oiCarex inops in our plot, and composition of adjacent 

 mature Pinus ponderosa stands indicate possible progression towards PINPON/CARHEL. 



In contrast, this type has been observed elsewhere in southeastern Montana on warm, dry sites that 

 are not serai to PINPON/CARINO. Wyoming examples of this type have been documented as 

 having "relatively dense" tree canopies (Jones 1992) and appreciable coverage of 5. scoparium, 

 which would argue for considering these stands as long-term-stable communities and not serai 

 representations of other types. 



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