Some sage is useful. But the keyword is some. Most enviros want nothing but brush and cedars and absolutely no non-native grasses. But wildlife are usually found on old or new burns, chained areas, and spots where re-growth happens. Sage in this country is helpful as a browse in winter for antelope, deer and cattle. It controls erosion in spots grasses won't hold the soil. And it provides habitat for grouse and smaller critters. But vast ranges covered in brush soon become stagnant and the grass there gets wolfy and dormant. Nature used to send thunderstorms and continually burnt off patches. Then the grass would compete with brush and actually hold it's own. But we run out and put out every fire for the past 50 years and change nature's way and scratch our heads when giant infernos destroy hundreds of thousands of acres. And chaining is a four letters word nowadays. But those pictures prove why burns are wonderful tools. Same with responsible grazing. Regrowth = healthy, nutritional, vibrant, natural range land. Versus old, dormant, poorer nutrition, less palateable and more likely to burn out of control. But try selling that to the enviro movement or some of the folks in government management who follow that school of thought.
