Waging War on Cheatgrass

Guest: Ann Kennedy, Soil Scientist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service  More than nine million acres burned in wildfires across the US this summer – among the highest on record and making it among the most expensive fire-fighting seasons. Western drought and invasive weeds are largely to blame. How are weeds to blame? Consider cheatgrass – aptly named because it grows so aggressively it cheats other native grasses and flowering plants of any chance for survival.  Cheatgrass has taken over large swaths of the sagebrush country. And the kicker is that it’s not tasty to livestock or wildlife, so it just grows and grows and then it dries into perfect kindling just as peak burn season arrives. If we’re going to get a handle on the wildfires burning larger and hotter every year, we have to get a handle on cheatgrass.