A Mountain Community

Buffelgrass Invasion Creating Fire Hazard

Jun 17, 2005

Two introduced African grasses, buffelgrass
and fountain grass, are invading our
neighborhood, increasing the fire danger around
our homes and along roadsides. Everyday
vehicular traffic spreads their seed into and out
of our neighborhood and throughout the city and
into natural desert areas. These grasses cause a
dire threat to our homes and to our beautiful,
natural desert surroundings, as they are fuel for
wild fires. They are the cause for the fires we see
on A Mountain during our annual July 4th
fireworks displays. Most fires are started
inadvertently by people throwing cigarettes out
the window of their cars, and while walking
down the street, fire can also be ignited by hot
vehicle catalytic converters while pulled off to
the side of the road, children playing with
matches and lighters, and last but not least, by
natural means such as lightning during our
summer thunderstorms. To protect our homes,
neighborhood and the surrounding desert, we
urge you to act now to eradicate theses grasses
from your property and along the roadsides in
our community. The best ways to rid your
property of these grasses are to pull them out of the ground while they are young, if they are big
plants, water them and dig them out with a shovel, or spray them with a herbicide like Roundup
while they are in a green state. Roundup will not work if the plant is brown and in a dried up state.
Due to seeds lying around, you will need to re pull new sprouts or respray after a few months.
Eventually they will become fewer and will be controlled. Several residents have already eradicated
them from their yards, so the feat is possible. Travis Bean, Senior Research Specialist at the Desert
Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, and resident of the A Mountain Community, is working diligently
with the City of Tucson and Pima County to get these non native and invasive grasses under control.
Lets do our part to prevent wild fires which could destroy our homes, and protect our gorgeous
desert surroundings, by helping Travis get these grasses under control. With a little help from
everyone in the A Mountain Community we can accomplish this goal.