One thing is certain with sage grouse, they're sagebrush obligates. Populations rise and fall dramatically, but, if you loose the sagebrush, it's a done deal for the grouse... Lot's of ways to phucqk up sagebrush country to where it doesn't work so good for them as well. If we could predict rainfal in the high desert, we'd have it made.
Pretty damned slow to get it back. In 1999, I visited about 15 sites of documented historic wildfires in Wyoming big sagebrush stands in OR, ID, and NV, ranging roughly 20-50 years postburn. BLM, USFWS, and private lands. Not in a single location were there native forbs or sagebrush in measurable quantity. Litterally nothing but cheat grass and weeds. The idea that you "rest" a burned area from grazing for only one, two, maybe three years postburn, it a crock of chit. The commonality of all the sites, grazed heavily since the fire. Can't blame them, they eat the palletable stuff and leave the rest. The rest ain't worth a chit for grouse generally. Not anti-grazing as I also saw productive beef operations right alongside productive sage grouse populations... It's certainly not a super simplistic. Guess that's two certainties. I'll leave it at that.
People will knock university stuff, however, the prof I worked with had a saying that made the bunny hugger's heads spin. He'd say, "I love to save wildlife, they're great to eat!" RIP...
An interesting, EARLY, read on them is Patterson, '52, The Sage Grouse in Wyoming.
My sage grouse days were' 96-'03 and' 05. Starting to seem like a long time ago... LOL
Now, I'm done.
