Technical Abstract: A new method is described for the retrieval of fractional cover of large woody plants (shrubs) at the landscape scale using moderate resolution multiangle remote sensing data from the Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) and an hybrid geometric-optical (GO) canopy reflectance model. The major difficulty in applying such models in desert grasslands if the spatially dynamic nature of the combined soil and understory background reflectance. The best method found was multiple regression on the weights of a kernel-driven model and MISR nadir camera blue, green, and near infra-red bidrectional reflectance factors. The results of forward modeling for a 5.15 km2 area in the USDA, ARS Jornada Experimental Range (n=441) showed excellent agreement with the MISR data in both shape and magnitude. Inversion of the model allowed estimation of fractional shrub cover with an RMSE of 0.03.