When wildfires burn in California, people often call them forest fires or brushfires, but the odds are high that an invasive weed is an unrecognized fuels component, says a UC Agriculture and Natural Resources scientist.

“We have all of the nasty non-native Bromus species here in California, and these weeds are key drivers of increasing fire frequency,” said Travis Bean, UC Cooperative Extension weed science specialist based at UC Riverside.

The invasive, non-native Bromus species aggressively outcompete native plants, forming dense stands that grow fast and dry out quickly, becoming highly flammable. Fire can move...

Saharan mustard is originally from the Mediterranean. It was introduced to California where it became a weed, particularly in the dryer parts of the state. Livestock can be poisoned by Saharan mustard if they are kept in fields that have little else to eat but Saharan mustard. Signs of toxicity include “colic, diarrhea, excessive salivation, and thyroid enlargement” (DiTomaso, J.M., G.B. Kyser et al. 2013). Saharan mustard can also increase fire hazard.

Saharan mustard has been documented in eastern San Benito County on Panoche Road; in western Fresno County; in Monterey County at Fort Hunter Liggett; and in San Luis Obispo County it is concentrated near Morrow Bay and north of Santa Maria, but has been...

There was a post written a few months ago by Rebecca Ozeran entitled “A Tale of Two Grasses,” describing her experiences with cheatgrass and contrasting its characteristics with another invasive annual, medusahead. It was an excellently written blog, and I encourage you to check it out!

http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=23889

As I rode my bike through a haze of smoke this morning, I decided it would be appropriate to describe the impacts I see this invasive annual having up in the northeastern corner of the state, because it is just about everywhere! (And I have some cool fire photos to share…) Cheatgrass...