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Understory Characteristics Related To Site Quality For Aspen In Utah, James H. Warner, Kimball T. Harper

Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series

An analysis has been made of the basic ecology of aspen forests of the mountainous areas of Utah and northern Arizona. Forty-nine study areas have been examined in respect to density, height and age of the tree cover, tree reproduction, and composition and biomass production of the understory. A graphic model of interspecific assocations among prevalent understory species has been prepared by a cluster-analysis procedure based on presence and absence of species in 1,225 small quadrats (0.25 m²) uniformly distributed among the 49 stands. The model separates species of relatively stable as opposed to rapidly seral aspen forests. …