Sagebrush and grasslands: several living layers

Open country is not vacant ground waiting for trees. The Forest Service's Wyoming big sagebrush synthesis describes a diverse ecosystem and explains how nonnative annual grasses can change fuels and fire patterns. After fire, recovery depends on the plant community, soils, weather and other site conditions. The result should not be simplified to a single restoration recipe or a claim that all sagebrush habitats respond alike.

Open country is not empty ground waiting for trees. Big sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, blue grama, bluebunch wheatgrass and antelope bitterbrush make up its plant layers, and pronghorn and Utah prairie dogs show two very different animal lives in it. Each animal has its own range and habitat needs, so a shared label here is for navigation only. Cheatgrass is worth reading beside the native grasses, because the difference between the two matters for fire and for everything that grows with them.