The stem-diameter age relationships of salt cedar from 15 study sites iu central Utah were investigated. Age prediction equations were generated and found significant @<.OOl). Within rest&cd geographic arcas the stem ages of salt cedar could be estimated with fair reliability, but with substantial geographic separation results were less accurate. The impact of salt cedar invasion over prolonged periods of time was also assessed. Results indicated that the longer the community has been occupied by salt cedar the more xeric the habitat becomes. Saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima) is a vigorous invader of pastures, moist lowlands and stream banks throughout much of the southwestern United States (Tomanek and Ziegler 1960). It is also found in dense thickets through much of central Utah (Christensen 1962). Saltcedar has the highest transpiration rates of any North American phreatophyte (Kiegler 1968) and can depress the water table often by as much as 1.2 to 2.1 m/ yr (Horton 1964). Although studies have been made of the distribution and naturalization of saltcedar (Christensen 1962, and Horton 1964) and of its ecology and habitat requirements (Tomanek and Ziegler 1960, Carman 1979), much less is known of its stem diameter: age relationship and/ or population dynamics. Studies of the growth rings of trees have been used extensively
True mountain mahogany (Cercowpusmontunus Raf.) and its habitats were studied in the canyons and foothills of the Wasatch Mountains of Central Utah. Twenty populations were selected and sampled for various biotic and abiotic environmental variables. All study sites contained true mountain mahogany as a dominant or subdominant plant. The communities are shrub dominated with other plant life forms contributing little to the total cover of the sites. The more northern exposed sites appear to be undergoing succession while the more southern exposures seem more stable. Native shrubs common to the Intermountain Region are important to the livestock and wildlife resources of the region. Increasing demands upon our shrub resources by a growing human populace necessitate more efficient range management. The efficacy of rangeland policies relating to shrub species depends upon knowledge of the ecological requirements of the species. Such information can best be gained through study of the natural ecosystems that support the shrub species in question, True mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus Raf.) is widely recognized as a useful forage plant (Plummer 1969, Young and Bailey 1975) and knowledge of its habitat relations is essential for productive management. Martin (1950) revised the genus Cercocarpus and delimited 8 varieties. The species referred to in this present work is Cercocarpus montanus Raf. var. montanus. Martin described this variety and listed several synonyms. Members of this genus were first called mountain mahogany by early pioneers, but that name has since been restricted to the genus Sweitenia by the Federal Trade Commission. Following this ruling, the U.S. Forest Service check list has approved "Cercocarpus" as the common name (Hayes and Garrison 1960). Nevertheless, certain common names have become firmly entrenched in the literature: true mountain mahogany, birchleaf mahogany, and alder-leaf mountain mahogany. True mountain mahogany is a widely distributed browse species in the western United States (Fig. 1). The mean habitat type is in the Great Basin and Rocky Mountains, along bluffs and mountain slopes between 1,070 and 3,050 m (Medin 1960, Martin 1950, Pyrah 1964, Greenwood and Brotherson 1978). The Soil Conservation Service (1971) reports that true mountain mahogany is found within the 240-550 mm rainbelt on sites having a June deficiency of moisture. Medin (1960) found true mountain mahogany growing on sandstone and shale in Colorado and his data indicated that soil depth was the most important factor influencing annual shrub production. A soil conservation report for Utah indicated that true mountain mahogany was most abundant on sites with shallow soils and with 35% or greater coarse fragments. Other researchers have noted that the shrub can withstand high lime and prefers sandy soils, but it is occasionally found in shales or deep loams (Brotherson and Brotherson 1967, Plummer 1969, Ream 1964). True mountain mahogany is recorded on all aspects and in fertile canyon bottoms where the pH ranges...
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