A wildfire on the Northern Yellowstone Winter Range (NYWR) was studied 19 years after burning to compare relative re-establishment of three big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) and three rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus Nutt.) taxa. Recovery was minimal for all three subspecies of big sagebrush, while rabbitbrush abundance was much greater after burning. At other NYWR locations prescribed burned mountain big sagebrush (A.t. vaseyana [Rydb.] Beetle) characteristics at seven sites were compared with 33 unburned sites to determine the amount of recovery 10 to 14 years after burning. Mountain big sagebrush canopy coverage on unburned sites averaged 12 times that of burned sites and densities of established shrubs on unburned sites were 15 times those of burned sites.