Rates of change in invasive annual grass cover to inform potential management opportunities across the sagebrush biome of the western United States

We used Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP) maps of annual herbaceous fractional components (mostly invasive annual grasses) to calculate mean rate of change in invasive annual grass cover over five-year time periods (ratesOfChange1987_2021.zip). We also created a map that identifies zones of the sagebrush biome that could be prioritized for different management goals (managementOpportunities.zip). The invasion of annual grasses has altered fire regimes and has contributed to the decline of sagebrush ecosystems. The vast expanse of annual grass invasions has required land managers to prioritize treatments in locations where they expect to be able to make a meaningful impact on invasion outcomes. Maps of invasive annual grass cover are useful in that they show the extent and severity of the invasion, but on their own, cover maps do not illustrate context such as how invasive cover is changing over time (i.e., increasing, stable, decreasing). The rate of change in invasive annual grass cover describes the trajectory of invasion. This information can be used by land managers to fine-tune priority locations and strategies for invasive species treatments in addition to other data sources (e.g., invasive annual grass cover maps).