Targeting the grass-fire cycle through soil-surface rehabilitation

Webinar recording.

Biocrust sods (portable islands of lichens, mosses, cyanobacteria, and other organisms that form the cohesive soil communities known as biological soil crusts) are a novel technique for restoring critical soil systems in degraded landscapes. Because biocrusts can suppress the emergence of exotic plants, biocrust sods may also serve as living, ecologically beneficial fuel breaks in regions where the grass-fire cycle is driving more frequent fires. This presentation will offer preliminary results from studies in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, where researchers have been testing the capabilities of these new restoration tools. Anyone interested in soil ecology, restoration, or fire will leave this presentation with a new appreciation for biocrusts and their potential as critical restoration partners in two American deserts.

Presenter: Keven Griffen, PhD Student, Northern Arizona University School of Forestry and Center for Ecosystem Science and Society