climax or a grazing-irduced serai cxxmunity in 1±e Sv^eet Grass 

 Hills. 



Western sro'.-berTy/rose. Sv.'ales, upland drainages and other sna.v 

 acxrijmulation areas support a la,'/ shrub type dominated by v^estem 

 snc^±)erTY and rose. Understory species are similar to the 

 adjacent grasslands v/ith higher abundance of rresic-site species. 

 Kentucky bluegrass has generally invaded these stands. 



oo^^:FEROUs forest and savannah types 



Limber pine series . Limber pine is present as a codcminant or 

 subdcminant in the Douglas-fir series, and forms pure stands on 

 dry ridges east of Mt. Brc^•n. Limt)er pine stands are frequently 

 open, appearing as a woodland or savannah. Idato fescue is the 

 dcminant understory species, ijiplying the limber pine/Idaho fescue 

 type of Pfister et al. (1977). 



Douglas-fir series . Douglas-fir occurs as dense forests on north- 

 facing aspects at la^/er elevations and as a savannah on drier 

 south- facing slopes. It is a serai ccrrponent of higher elevation 

 forest in the spruce or subalpine fir series. Thcrpson and Kuijt 

 (1976a) describe the understory as the most well-developed of 

 coniferous types in the Hills. Etouglas-fir types described for 

 the Bear's Paw r-'ountains and Little Rocky Fountains that may be 

 present in the Si-.-eet Grass Hills include Douglas-fir/westem 



28 



