GKAZING AND FOE AGE PRODUCTION ON NATIONAL FORESTS 6 



which support but a sparse stand of forage. Small openings also 

 occur throughout the zone, but they are ordinarily in a depleted 

 condition from past abuse and now support a stand largely of an- 

 nuals and unpalatable perennials. 



Of the browse plants, snowberry clearly predominates throughout 

 the aspen-fir type. The principal associated woody species are 

 chokecherry, service berry, elderberry (Sambucus), wild rose 

 (Rosa), spine currant (Ribes montigenum), honeysuckle {Loni- 

 cera). and manzanita {Arctostaphylos) . The herbaceous vegetation 

 consists chiefly of various species of brome grass (Bromus), wheat 

 grass, blue grass, spiked trisetum {Trisetum spicatum), pine grass 

 (C ' alamagrosth) , wild geranium {Geranium) , vetch (Vicia), lupine 

 {Lupinus), bluebell, butterweed, pea vine {Lathy rus), niggerhead 

 {Rudbeckia occidentalis) , dandelion {Leontodon taraxacum) , beard- 

 tongue {Pentstemon) , sweet-cicely {Osmorrhiza), yarrow, sneeze- 

 weed {Helenium hoopesii), tall larkspur {Delphinium), meadow 

 rue {Thalictrum fendleri), death camas {Zygadenus), and Indian 

 paintbrush {Castilleja). 



SPRUCE-FIR TYPE 



The spruce-fir type occupies the high plateaus at elevations ordi- 

 narily above 9,000 feet. Engelmann spruce and alpine fir {Abies 

 lasiocarpa) form dense stands on north exposures and other favor- 

 able sites and also occur as small clusters over the whole area. The 

 bulk of the type is open and supports a cover that is chiefly herba- 

 ceous, with here and there an admixture of browse. Because of the 

 high quality of the forage, the abundant water, and the moderate 

 summer temperatures, the type embraces the best summer range in 

 the Wasatch Mountains. The cover of greatest value for grazing, 

 especially in the open parks, consists largely of grasses and other 

 herbaceous plants, with considerable browse in the timbered lands. 

 In the nineties and the early part of the twentieth century over- 

 grazing was excessive here, and extensive areas are still in a badly 

 depleted condition. Untimbered areas which were not seriously 

 injured in the past, and on which the forage has had a chance to 

 recover fully, support a dense stand of very valuable grasses and 

 other forage plants. 



The herbaceous vegetation is composed chiefly of species of wheat 

 grass, needle grass, sedge {Carex) , brome grass, blue grass, pine grass, 

 meadow barley {Hordeum), sweet sagebrush {Artemisia) , blue 

 beardtongue, yarrow, bluebell, dandelion, mountain dandelion 

 {Agoseris) , tall and low larkspur, death camas {Zygadenus) , lupine, 

 aster {Aster), butterweed, cinquefoil {P otentilla) , Mexican dock 

 {Rumex), and knotweed {Polygonum). The most important 

 browse plants are spine currant, elderberry {Sambucus), rabbit- 

 brush (Chrysothamnus) , willow {Salix), wild raspberry {Rubus), 

 and sagebrush {Artemisia tridentata). 



CLIMATIC FACTORS IN RELATION TO GRAZING PERIODS 



Careful meteorological records have been kept since 1914 in each 

 of the three major types on the Ephraim Canyon watershed, the 

 oak-brush at 7,100 feet elevation, the aspen-fir at 8,700 feet, and the 



