State 1
1 Reference State

Community 1.1
1.1 Reference Plant Community

Site is primarily made of mid and short grasses with a moderate percentage of shrubs with lesser amounts of forbs. There is a mixture of both cool and warm season grasses and half-shrubs Plants most likely to invade on this site are big sagebrush, snakeweed, rabbitbrush, juniper and annuals.

Community 1.2
1.2 Mixed Shrubland with Grass/Forb

Site has an increase of large and half shrubs, especially snakeweed and rabbitbrush. Forbs have also increased, especially annual forbs. There is a decline in perennial grasses. The plant community is mix of large and half shrubs and perennial grasses. There is decline of cool season grasses and a increase of warm season grasses and annual forbs. Common shrubs are Wyoming big sagebrush, snakeweed, rabbitbrush. Blue grama, galleta, Indian ricegrass, squirreltail, and sand dropseed are the common grasses and western wheatgrass/muttongrass may be present but is greatly reduced.

Pathway 1.1A
Community 1.1 to 1.2

Repetitive, high utilization of palatable grass species have given shrubs a competitive advantage.

Pathway 1.2A
Community 1.2 to 1.1

A disturbance such as fire to set the shrubs back along with improved grazing management to increase palatable grass species.

State 2
2 Sagebrush State

This state is characterized by a canopy dominated by sagebrush with rabbitbrush and snakeweed. The understory is a mix of warm and cool season grasses along with annuals forbs. There may be scattered trees at higher elevations.

Community 2.1
2.1 Sagebrush Dominated Overstory

This plant community is characterized by a dominance of Wyoming big sagebrush with scattered snakeweed/rabbitbrush. Understory is scattered with perennial snakeweed and annual forbs. This plant community has a small percentage of introduced exotics that are established in the understory. This plant community may also have scattered junipers.

Transition T1A
State 1 to 2

Long-term repetitive, high utilization of palatable species decreases grass species and gives shrubs a competitive advantage.

Restoration pathway R2A
State 2 to 1

A disturbance such as fire to set the shrubs back along with improved grazing management to increase palatable grass species. Soil, plant, and hydrologic health must be restored.