The expansion of the grass-fire cycle in the deserts of North American is driving ecosystem level transformation from patchy desert scrub to invasive grassland. A novel fire regime in the Sonoran Desert is forcing a new approach to land management. Unprecedented large-scale fires in recent years, especially in 2005 and 2020, have been driven by the exponential expansion of introduced invasive plants. An ecological transition from desert scrub to grassland has begun, which creates management and societal challenges as fire becomes a part of the ecology of the Sonoran Desert.
This fact sheet summarizes the full report on the history and trends of fire in the Sonoran Desert and discusses future conservation strategies with some fire ecology information presented for the Mojave Desert which is experiencing a similar ecological transformation.
Scroll down to read the fact sheet download a PDF here.
Check out the full report here!
