Presettlement Vegetation in the Sagebrush-Grass Area of the Intermountain West

Abstract

Twenty-nine journals and diaries were reviewed for their vegetation descriptions of the sagebrush-grass area in an attempt to assess the relative importance of herbaceous plants and woody brush in the northern Intermountain West. The early writings suggest a pristine vegetation visually dominated by shrubs. Stands of grass apparently were largely confined to wet valley bottoms, moist canyons, and mountain slopes, with more extensive areas in eastern Oregon near the Cascade Range. The major area was apparently covered by thick stands of brush.