In the Intermountain region, crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum) rangelands are grazed primarily in spring and fall. In these seasons the time and intensity of grazing varies considerably, even among neighboring plants (tussocks). In a 3-year study, we investigated the responses of individual tussocks to grazing at several times and two intensities within an intensive (short-duration) spring grazing system. Potential indirect effect of intensive grazing systems (e.g., nitrogen depletion, tussock thinning and reduced tussock densities) were assessed with manipulative experiments. Grazing before mid-may usually enhanced tiller growth whereas grazing after mid-May depressed tiller growth. Although mid- to late-May grazing usually stimulated the production of new spring tillers, the remaining growing season was too short for these new tillers to contribute much to forage availability. Grazing before mid-May did not affect the number and sizes of fall-produced tillers, whereas grazing after mid-May reduced the number and size of these tillers and their overwinter survival. Lower over-winter tiller survival reduced tiller number per tussock in the following grazing season. In the manipulative experiments, fertilization increased tiller heights and flowering in 1984 but not in 1985 and did not affect annual tiller replacement. Like fertilization, neighbor removal also enhanced tiller heights and flowering, although not as quickly. Neighbor removal stimulated tiller replacement over two-fold relative to untreated tussocks. Thinned tussocks only replaced themselves and did not regain their prethinning tiller numbers, presumably because of the encroachment of neighboring tussocks.