INTRODUCTION 



Systematic baseline botany and vegetation surveys were conducted on Bureau of Land Management 

 (BLM)-administered land in Carter County, Montana. The primary purpose of botany surveys was to 

 document sensitive plant species. The dual purposes of vegetation surveys were to document the 

 rarest plant associations and the outstanding examples of relatively common plant associations. 



The overall goal of this study is to develop basic botany and vegetation information for reference and 

 application to resource management and conservation. This study contributes baseline information 

 for determining which species and plant associations truly are uncommon, and the habitat settings of 

 those species and communities. 



Sensitive species provide potential agricultural, pharmaceutical and genetic resources. They are also 

 indicators of special habitats and habitat conditions, providing a greater understanding to manage the 

 landscape and its processes. Safeguarding the vulnerable members of the flora is instrumental in 

 maintaining the complement of native species that are adapted to southeastern Montana, as well as in 

 maintaining the ecosystems to which they belong. In this report, the term "sensitive" is used in place 

 of the adjective "rare" to represent species recognized as either Sensitive or Watch by the ELM 

 (USDA ELM 1 996), or otherwise tracked as Montana plant species of special concern (Heidel 

 1997). 



Plant associations are the communities of native plants and associated animals that depend on a 

 common environment and on one another. As such, they are ecological integrators, providing 

 information on both intrinsic environments (habitats) present in the landscape, and the ecological 

 condition of these communities. An inventory of plant associations provides a biologist's census of 

 the common species throughout an area, and may be used to gauge the breadth and sustainability of 

 the natural communities. 



This work does not represent exhaustive documentation of all sensitive plant locations and all plant 

 associations in the county. It does identify the broad complement on ELM-administered lands, 

 providing a baseline for reference at all levels of planning and operations. 



