State and transition (S&T) models are aspatial, nonequilibrium simulations that incorporate multiple ecosystem states linked by pathways representing deterministic (e.g., growth) and probabilistic (e.g., disturbance) transitions. The LANDFIRE program incentivized a major expansion in the use of S&T simulations in federal lands management, through the development of the Biophysical Settings (BpS) models which provided the reference conditions for Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) assessment. The usefulness of the BpS models goes far beyond FRCC however. These types of S&T models can be extremely useful in better understanding the complex inner-workings of successional and disturbance processes, as well as in generating reference conditions for ecosystem management. I will begin by outlining the process of developing state-and-transition models for successional and fire dynamics of major forest types of the Sierra Nevada, and discuss how these were adapted into BpS models for the LANDFIRE program. The major focus of my presentation will be management applications – and limitations – of the LANDFIRE BpS models. Examples will include desired forest conditions for Forest Plans and large landscape restoration projects; developing vegetation structure targets for fire and fuels management; and spatial extensions of the BpS models to develop historic range of variation (HRV) assessments for large management landscapes.