Have you tapped into your environmental side lately? If not, here is a story for you!
The Sonoran desert is praised for its unique landscape, however its aesthetic is being compromised by a pesky invasive species known as buffelgrass. Buffelgrass has an aggressive nature to not only crowd out native plants, but fuel devastating fires in what has generally been a fireproof desert. “It is concerning to a lot of people, especially in the Tucson area,” said Travis Bean, a research specialist at the University of Arizona. “Buffelgrass exposes our mountains to fire risks.”
When buffelgrass ignites its temperature can be up to 1400 degrees Fahrenheit and its flame can extend to 20 feet tall, depending on the size of the buffelgrass. That is one hot weed that can do serious damage in a short amount of time.
“Most invasive species are allelopathic,” said William McCloskey, a Weed specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UA. “This means organisms are creating chemical warfare against its neighbors.” If there is one way to describe warfare, it is ugly. This invasive species can live up to 20 years per an individual plant by beating any other organism for water. The key characteristic for this species is their inability to let anything else grow around them.
The Arizona Sonoran Desert environment is used to lure prospective students to college at UA and businesses from all over that are interested in the landscape, said Lindy Brigham, executive director for the Southwest Buffelgrass Coordination Center. All the beautiful wildflower populations and native plants are now being eradicated and replaced with what looks like barren nothingness on landmarks like “A” Mountain and Tumomac Hill, a product of an ecological war among species.
In 2008, Saguaro National park spent $132,400 in buffelgrass clean up. Two years later, they spent over $140,00 more in cleaning. Each year the spending to control this invasive plant is increasing.
As more people become aware of buffelgrass spreading, non-profit organizations like the Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordination Center have been created to work federally and locally to provide resource and education. This past February, the center conducted their fourth annual “Beat Back the Buffelgrass Day,” to bring education to the general public about what this weed is doing to the environment. “By helping to coordinate efforts, we become more efficient and widespread ourselves,” said Brigham.
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