Introduced annual grass increases regional fire activity across the arid western USA (1980–2009)

Non-native, invasive grasses have been linked to altered grass-fire cycles worldwide. Although a few studies have quantified resulting changes in fire activity at local scales, and many have speculated about larger scales, regional alterations to fire regimes remain poorly documented. We assessed the influence of large-scale Bromus tectorum (hereafter cheatgrass) invasion on fire size, duration, spread rate, and interannual variability in comparison to other prominent land cover classes across the Great Basin, USA. We compared regional land cover maps to burned area measured using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) for 2000-2009 and to fire extents recorded by the USGS registry of fires…

• SR
  Sight Research UK

  Award: earth010003
• UG
  U.S. Geological Survey
• NC
  National Center For Environmental Assessment
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council

  Award: earth010003