Global Agriculture

Collaboration Needed to Stop Invasive Weeds that Fuel Wildfires and Environmental Degradation

30 October 2024, Colorado: The Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) and its members continue to reach out to state, federal and international organizations and industry and non-profit partners to stop invasive weed species that annually fuel wildfires and environmental degradation.  

“As we’ve seen with recent wildfires in Hawaii, California, Canada, and elsewhere, overlooking science-based solutions to invasive weeds can result in tragic consequences to whole communities and ecosystems,” says Greg Dahl, Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) president. “As an organization, and as individual members, we are doing what we can to provide the science and education needed for policy makers and land managers to effectively control invasive plant species.” 

According to the most recent (Oct. 22) National Interagency Fire Center statistics, 43,602 wildfire incidents across 7,925,211 U.S. acres have burned year-to-date. These fires cause loss of life and other health impacts for both humans and animals, both from the fires themselves and also from air pollution and smoke inhalation. 

For years, WSSA scientists have correlated invasive weed species, such as invasive annual grasses, to increased wildfire danger in the American West. Now the threat from wildfires due to invasive species is nearly as concerning in Eastern States as well, says Rick Johnstone, President, Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) Partners, Inc., a non-profit organization, based in Newark, Delaware, who has partnered with WSSA member scientists on invasive-weed-species control efforts. 

“Invasive weed species are the worst of the worst, displacing native plant and grass species and carrying fires where fires have never been carried before,” says Johnstone. “We saw that with buffalo grass wildfires in Hawaii last year. Now that same type of wildfire threat is here in the Chesapeake Bay area, due to invasive grass species like the common reed. Also known as Phragmites australis, this invasive grass grows up to 15 ft. in height, dries out during fall and winter and can result in 30-ft.-high flames.” 

The know-how, technology and expertise are generally available to control invasive weed species – it just takes commitment, cost-share dollars and multi-entity cooperation, adds Johnstone. “The bottom line is that we need to work together – government agencies, tribal nations, utilities, industry, land managers and farmers — to use proven, science-based solutions to control invasive weeds where most needed to restore our native habitats,” he emphasizes. 

Jane Mangold, Ph.D., WSSA member and Montana State University Professor and Extension Specialist, agrees. She recently spoke at the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA) conference. The theme was Sharing Stories, Celebrating Partnerships

“Managing invasive species is a complicated, multi-faceted endeavor that requires partnerships among agencies, scientists, landowners, NGOs, and other stakeholders too numerous and diverse to easily name,” says Mangold. “We need to share our stories—successes and failures—so that we can learn from each other and move forward with shared knowledge and energy. As a weed scientist, I especially value partnerships as an avenue for co-created research where we can work together to identify needs and management questions, conduct the research to answer them, and share the results within and beyond our communities.” 

During an all-day workshop on invasive annual grasses, she and Brian Mealor, Ph.D., University of Wyoming, gave a presentation on the current science of management. “Invasive annual grasses continue to threaten sagebrush grasslands of the western U.S. posing a multitude of impacts from decreases in livestock forage and wildlife habitat to fueling wildfires,” says Mangold. “New advances in technology have provided us with renewed opportunities to protect the sagebrush grasslands from further degradation. We can’t manage everywhere, but by focusing our management on those areas with the highest recovery potential—that is those areas where remnant desired vegetation is still present but being suppressed by annual grasses—we can see the best return on our investment from both an economic and an ecological perspective.” 

WSSA members also recently contributed to a Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) issue paper on Preventing the Next Plant Invasion, says Dahl. He adds that other WSSA members will be contributing to a similar CAST issue paper on invasive plant species that will be published in early 2025. 

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