Payre (1973) rrapped and descriJDed rangeland sites of yontana. Upper 

 elevation forested sites in the Sv.'eet Grass Hills v;ere irapped as 

 lodgepole pine/Couglas-fir forest. Foothills and grassy iTeada^;s vjere 

 mapped as a Foothills Grassland type. Principal forage species listed 

 include fescues, v.'heatgrasses and needle-and- thread. The 

 distinguishing feature of this type is the nrbcture of montane and 

 plains species. Vegetation of the plains surrounding the Sv.eet Gra^s 

 Hills is descriJDed as Northern Grassland, including blue graira, v;estem 

 v;heatgrass, needle-and-thread and dryland sedges (threadleaf and 

 needleleaf ) . 



Pfister et al. (1977) have developed a ccnprehensive classification of 

 Montana's forest habitat types; however, their study did not ir^clude 

 stands frcm isolated, ncn-U.S. Forest Service-managed mountain ranges 

 in central and eastern Kcntana. Mueggler and Stewart (1980) have 

 classified grass and shrub ccrrmunities of the western cne-third of 

 Montana. The Sv.'eet Grass Hills were not included in this 

 classification, although sore similarities with their descriptions are 

 apparent. Hansen et al. (1988) described riparian dominance types of 

 Montana. Their ocrtpilation may be applicable to sore riparian types in 

 the Sweet Grass Kills; ho-.'.ever, no sanpling or literature pertaining to 

 the Hills was used in the classification. 



Qualitative, site-specific descriptions of rrajor vegetation ccmmunities 

 of the a-.^et Grass Hills are presented by Thcnpson and Kuijt (1976a). 



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