Fire in the desert

One of the principal elements that will drive future change in the Sonoran Desert is fire. The expansion of the grass-fire cycle in the deserts of North America is creating ecosystem level transformation from patchy desertscrub to invasive grassland.

Photo credit: Sean Parker Photography.

A novel fire regime in the Sonoran Desert is forcing a new approach to land management, where there are currently more questions than answers. What is the ecological trajectory of the Sonoran Desert? What should we be managing for?

A 2024 report with Southwest Fire Science Consortium provides an overview to where we are with fire in the desert, what we can expect, and what can be done.

Additional Information

Articles

Wilder, B.T., J. Shelly, K.S. Gibson, J. Malusa. 2024. Fire in the Sonoran Desert: An overview of a changing landscape. Southwest Fire Science Consortium.

Wilder, B.T., C.S. Jarnevich, E. Baldwin, J.S. Black, K.A. Franklin, P. Grissom, K.A. Hovanes, A. Olsson, J. Malusa, A.S.M.G. Kibria, Y.M. Li, A.M. Lien, A. Ponce, J.A. Rowe, J.R. Soto, M.R. Stahl, N.E. Young, J.L. Betancourt. 2021. Grassification and Fast-Evolving Fire Connectivity and Risk in the Sonoran Desert, United States. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9:655561. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.655561

Radio and TV

How the changing landscape of the Sonoran Desert has made it more at risk for wildfires. KJZZ, The Show

‘Making fires hotter, more dangerous, faster moving’: Arizona wildfires being fueled by invasive species covering desert, report shows. NBC 12 News Phoenix.

News Articles

Wildfires are scorching Arizona’s deserts more often. What’s changed and what’s at risk? Arizona Republic. 

Increase in wildfires taking out saguaros is ‘really alarming,’ report warns. Arizona Daily Star.

Wildfires in Arizona are getting worse due to invasive species, new study says. Arizona Republic.

What happened to Arizona’s ‘fireproof’ desert—and what can be done. The NAU Review.

Park land scorched by Bighorn Fire could offer clues to emerging desert threat. Arizona Daily Star.

‘I almost needed a machete’ — burned areas brim with new growth after monsoon. Arizona Daily Star.