Fire and Invasive Annual Grasses in Western Ecosystem
A project funded by the Joint
Fire Science Program
Laboratory experiments are being used to identify heating regimes and associated
changes in soil nutrient availability that result in growth of three invasive
annual grasses; cheatgrass, red brome, and medusahead, in soils of differing
texture, chemistry, and moisture content. These heating regimes will be
compared
to temperature
profiles
and their
associated
affects on invasive grass dominance from the field experiments.
Objectives
- Evaluate the effects of heating and subsequent changes in soil nutrient status among three widespread and dominant invasive grass species within soils collected from a wide range of ecosystems
- Develop optimal burning regimes for different soil types that will minimize the risk of subsequent invasion by annual grasses
URL http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fire/lv/fireandinvasives/
laboratory_experiments.htm Contact: Webmaster Last Modification: July 21, 2004 |
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