However, the severely degraded conditions of many contemporary ecosystems may require that livestock grazing, where permitted, be prevented for at least several years until the herbaceous community is well established. Transplanting and seeding with native species, controlling wildlife herbivory, and elimination of agressive exotics, may also be necessary in some cases to restore the understory. Future forests will contain diverse understories dominated by perennial native grasses and other native plants. Maintaining adequate herbaceous production to support periodic burning will be a key consideration in determining sustainable herbivory levels. In particular, presettlement trees surrounded by heavy forest floor material are protected from fire girdling by removal of excessive fuels two to four feet away from the trunk.
Future forests contain low levels of woody fuels and litter, due to repeated burning.
However, snags are also created by fire. Prescribed fires can emulate presettlement fire patterns for the first few burns, with an eventual goal of permitting large areas to burn from natural ignitions during the normal fire season. Fires will burn frequently, but smoke production from the light fuels will be relatively low compared to present-day wildfires and prescribed burns. In general, these changes should be favorable to the animals which evolved as part of the ponderosa pine ecosystem. For species dependent on forage, nectar, fruit, and seeds from diverse shrubs and herbs, such as many insects, small mammals, and birds, resources will increase.