Sagebrush is a vital habitat component for many endangered grassland species. As the need for sagebrush habitat restoration increases, models that enable restoration practitioners to calculate seeding or planting densities required to obtain desired sagebrush cover within specific time frames are essential. We measured cover and density of naturally occurring silver sagebrush (Artemisia cana) stands, subjected to different grazing management in Grasslands National Park. In 10 × 10 m plots, stem diameter and crown diameter of all individuals were measured; a subset of individuals were photographed to determine canopy cover and sampled (cut) for age determination by ring count. Strong relationships between morphological characteristics and age were found. Age was significantly correlated with stem diameter (r² = 0.79) allowing nondestructive age estimations to be made for A. cana. Canopy cover was correlated to stem diameter and age (r² = 0.49 to 0.67) with the relationship best described by reciprocal quadratic and rational models. We accurately modeled plot cover as the product of mean canopy cover, determined from morphological models, and plot density (81% of cover estimates within 10% of measured values). Sagebrush mortality was estimated using age frequencies of the sagebrush stems and outplanted seedling survival rates of other studies. Using mortality rate to determine how sagebrush density would change over time, we made projections of sagebrush cover for outplanted seedlings. These models indicate largest cover increases can occur in areas that are lightly grazed by cattle, but that greatest short-term increases can occur in areas where cattle grazing is heavier. Before this study, maximum canopy cover of sagebrush, and age at which it was achieved, were unknown and estimated for restoration purposes. This study provides essential information for successful restoration of A. cana, by modeling sagebrush cover as a function of density and stand age.

鼠尾草是许多濒危草原物种的重要生境组成部分。随着对鼠尾草栖息地恢复的需求的增加，使恢复工作者能够计算在特定时间范围内获得所需鼠尾草覆盖率所需的播种或种植密度的模型至关重要。我们测量了在草原国家公园受到不同放牧管理的天然银艾树（蒿）林的覆盖度和密度。在10×10 m的地块中，测量所有个体的茎直径和冠直径。拍摄个人的子集以确定树冠覆盖度，并采样（切割）以通过环数确定年龄。发现形态特征与年龄之间有很强的关系。年龄与茎直径显着相关（r ²  = 0.79）允许对A. cana进行无损年龄估算。冠层的覆盖与茎的直径和年龄（r ² = 0.49到0.67），并且最好用倒数二次方和有理模型描述的关系。我们将地形覆盖率准确建模为由形态模型确定的平均冠层覆盖率和地形密度（覆盖率估计的81％在测量值的10％以内）的乘积。使用鼠尾草茎的年龄频率和其他研究中移栽的幼苗存活率来估算鼠尾草的死亡率。使用死亡率确定鼠尾草密度随时间变化的方式，我们对外植幼苗的鼠尾草覆盖率进行了预测。这些模型表明，在牲畜轻度放牧的地区，覆盖面积的增加最大，而在牲畜放牧较重的地区，覆盖面积的最大短期增加。在进行这项研究之前，要先对鼠尾草的最大树冠进行遮盖，并确定达到的年龄，未知，估计用于恢复目的。这项研究为成功恢复牙周病提供了必要的信息。通过将鼠尾草覆盖物建模为密度和林分年龄的函数，来进行A. cana。