open areas tend to be more resistant and tolerant be- 

 cause they are dominated by turf-forming graminoids. 



These resvilts suggest that the durabihty of a vegeta- 

 tion type can be predicted quite accurately by examin- 

 ing characteristics of the dominant groimd cover spe- 

 cies. If those species are woody or have abovegroimd 

 perennating buds, they will probably have low toler- 

 ance for trampHng. If they are tufted or matted gram- 

 inoids, they will probably have high resistance and 

 enough resihence to be very tolerant of trampling. If 

 they are erect forbs, they will probably have little re- 

 sistance to trampling; however, they are likely to have 

 high resilience and, therefore, relatively high toler- 

 ance. Types that are dominated by low-growing forbs 

 or by erect graminoids have an intermediate response, 

 between that of low-growing graminoids and that of 

 erect forbs. 



CONCLUSIONS 



The results of this study apply only to the effects of 

 short-duration trampling on relatively undisturbed 

 vegetation. However, they can be apphed to the man- 

 agement of most wilderness acreage — ^the lightly used 

 places away from established trails and campsites. 

 Even low levels of trampling can cause pronounced 

 changes in vegetation, but the rate and magnitude 

 of change varies between vegetation types. Variation 

 is best explained by differences in plant characteris- 

 tics, although these are sometimes correlated with 

 environmental characteristics. There is no reason to 

 think that the response of vegetation in any part of 

 the country is fundamentally different from that in 

 any other part of the country. 



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