Sustainable rangeland management will require successional strategies to deal with the expanding weed problem. These strategies must be consistent with the view that plant communities are dynamic and technology is used to enhance the natural processes and mechanisms that direct vegetation change. The goal is to shift the dynamics toward a desired plant community. A unified conceptual model is necessary to direct the development and application of successional weed management systems. We propose using a resource management model as a conceptual basis for successional weed management. This model is based on the primary causes of succession: site availability, differential species availability, and differential species performance. This model provides the mechanistic framework necessary for developing successional weed management systems and it is meant to enhance communication among rangeland weed managers and scientists.
