Rhabilitating Salt-Desert Ecosystems Following Wildfire And Wind Erosion: Over a decade of research shows revegetation success in the Utah desert.

摘要

Over the last century and a half, the salt desert shrub ecosystem of the Great Basin has changed to include many new invasive annual weeds. Cheatgrass is the most prevalent. This introduced annual weed brings a faster re-occurring fire-cycle to the landscape. On average, it is estimated that cheatgrass ecosystems in the western United States burn every seven years. Records indicate that native vegetation evolved under less frequent fire events. Consequently, vegetation composition of many areas in Utah and Nevada has changed to reflect the impacts of cheatgrass and wildfire.