Although California brome was not among the native species planted, California brome seedlings appeared after the restoration treatment. California brome occurs on mountain slopes, ridgetops, valleys, meadows, and waste places. In the West, it is more common in dry cordilleran regions than in the Pacific Northwest. California brome is reported from a broad spectrum of moisture regimes, however. California brome grows in all soil textures.
Numerous studies report California brome in secondary succession.