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The matrices provide an indicator-based assessment of current site condition as compared with a desired condition and the potential to reach the desired condition. Inventory and tracking of site condition is needed to allow management adjustments to be made prior to reaching an ecological threshold. Once an area has crossed a threshold, significant inputs of time and funds will be necessary to bring the site back to desired condition. The cause and effect relationship between any one management practice and the current site condition is not explicitly part of the model. However, certain indicator attributes are more directly and uniquely affected by individual management practices such as grazing, off-road vehicle use or fuels management. If the matrices assessment indicates concerns about current condition, long-term monitoring plots can be established to determine trend. For a holistic approach to landscape scale management it is important to include a variety of indicator attributes in order to assess the relative contributions of different management practices on current site condition. If a site is known to be below desired condition, the timing, intensity, scale and frequency of land uses can be adjusted to respond (Zamudio 2003).