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ENCORE: A Look At New Boise State Research On Cheatgrass And Its Effects On Wildfire Patterns

Bureau of Land Management
In this 2015 photo provided by the Bureau of Land Management, a helicopter carries seeds to be dispersed over a burned area of the Soda Fire in southwest Idaho to help stabilize soils and combat invasive weeds such as cheatgrass.

This interview originally aired Apr. 6, 2020.

COVID-19 is taking most of our attention now, but in the midst of it all, another crisis is on the horizon: it’s almost wildfire season in Idaho. 

Cheatgrass is a pesky invasive weed that thrives in the soil after a wildfire. It’s also extremely flammable, causing a dangerous cycle. Cheatgrass has been studied here and there across the country, but it wasn’t until a recent Boise State University research project compiled all the data that scientists really started to understand the impact of cheatgrass on wildfire patterns. 

Matt Williamson is an assistant professor of Human Environmental Systems at Boise State and was a key part of this project. He joins Idaho Matters today to talk about what we can learn from this new data.

As COVID-19 cases spread through the U.S. and Idaho, we’re committed to keeping you updated and informed. You can get updated info on cases, closures and how to stay healthy at any time on our Coronavirus news blog.

Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet @KBSX915 using #IdahoMatters

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Molly Wampler is a newsroom intern at Boise State Public Radio. Originally from Berkeley, California, she just graduated from the University of Puget Sound in Washington state. There, Molly worked for her university's newspaper but is stoked to try her hand at and learn all there is to learn about radio journalism.

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