Less than one percent of the range consists of meadow wetlands and riparian greenways ( vegetation along stream banks ) . However , these areas are vital to the local ecosystem . The meadows surround springs , which are mostly on gently sloping uplands or in stream bottoms , and range in size from about 1 to 5 acres ( 0 @.@ 40 to 2 @.@ 02 ha ) . Narrow riparian greenways follow the year @-@ round streams . Many greenway areas have quaking aspen and willow groves . Cottonwood and alder groves can be found at lower elevations where terrain is flatter and stream channels are wider . Sedges and rushes are also native to these stream bottoms . Years of heavy livestock grazing in parts of the range resulted in the loss of some grass species , riparian vegetation , and young aspen and willow trees . Restoration of riparian areas began in the early 1970s , and plans to reduce grazing were implemented in the 1980s and early 1990s . However , large wildfires in southeastern Oregon during the summer of 2012 burned much of the range 's vegetation , damaging riparian ecosystems and killing hundreds of grazing cattle .