Objectives The status and characteristics of grassland resources in Northeast Yunnan were studied to provide a basis for the ecological construction and sustainable utilization of grasslands in the region. Methods A combination of route survey and quadrat survey was used to investigate and analyze the species composition, vegetation height, biomass, and feed grade in the study area. Results There are 162 species of plants from 136 genera in 50 families in the study area(excluding 3 undetermined species), including 98 species of forage plants from 21 families. Among them, 23 species (23.47%) were classified as excellent forage and 19 species ( 19.39%) as good forage. The proportion of leguminous forage to gramineous forage in the three types of artificial grasslands in the study areas is severely imbalanced, and the invasion of Artemisia lavandulaefolia is severe, indicating degradation. The fresh grass yield (29.23 t/hm²) and edible grass yield (25.21 t/hm²) of artificial grasslands in the study area increased by 2.68 and 3.84 times compared to those of natural grasslands (7.95 t/hm² and 5.28 t/hm²), showing a significant increase in yield. Conclusions It is recommended to strengthen the management and utilization of artificial grasslands, and control malignant weeds to achieve the sustainable utilization of grassland resources in the mountainous areas of Yunnan province.