Local opinion: Invasive grasses pose big Arizona fire risk

The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

In August, Lahaina, Hawaii, experienced one of the deadliest fires in U.S. history. Almost 100 people died, and dozens remain missing. The economic costs, too, are staggering: Over two thousand buildings were destroyed, and it will cost billions to rebuild.

In the immediate aftermath, Hawaii’s elected officials were quick to blame climate change. Postfire investigations tell a different story. The fire was ignited by sparks from downed utility lines. High winds quickly pushed the wildfire across thick stands of non-native guinea grass, molasses grass, and buffelgrass into the seaside town of Lahaina. These flammable grasses were introduced to feed livestock and have been spreading fast across abandoned plantations. Wildfires were once rare in Hawaii, but in recent decades, invasive grasses have increased the area burned in Hawaii each year by 300%.

For years, experts warned about the fire risk from these grasses. Two recent Maui County wildfire reports recommended aggressive mitigation efforts that were never implemented. We will never know how many lives could have been saved if these recommendations were heeded.

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The fire in Lahaina should serve as a wake-up call to Arizona. The same grasses that fueled the fire in Lahaina are prevalent here. And like Hawaii, experts here have warned for years that uncontrolled grass invasions are increasing our fire risk. In 2005, red brome, a winter annual from Europe, fueled a wildfire in the desert north of Phoenix that went on to burn 250,000 acres. This June, red brome fueled the Diamond Fire, prompting evacuation of over 1,000 residents in North Scottsdale. Buffelgrass, a fast-spreading perennial from Africa, is driving unprecedented fires in Sonora, and is ubiquitous in Pima County. It’s only a matter of time before buffelgrass fires threaten life and property here at home.

We study grass invasions and governance in Arizona and worry that our elected officials underestimate the urgency of the problem. This April, we met with several local officials to talk about buffelgrass. They all understood that buffelgrass increases fire risk and supported local efforts to manage the grass. But few of them saw it as an urgent priority compared to problems like roads and housing. One mayor doubted that there was a “single blade” of buffelgrass in town, even though we drove past several patches on our way to his office. Some of those patches were just feet away from residential homes. A stray spark on a windy day and those homes could burn like the ones in Lahaina.

In Arizona, fire regimes are changing rapidly. We’re in uncharted territory, facing unknown risks. We need elected officials to help reduce those risks. This isn’t to say that officials have done nothing. In fact, both state and local governments have taken commendable actions. The legislature has increased funding for invasive species removal, and Pima County officials have been active in managing buffelgrass and community education. But Arizona has no invasive species plan. We had one in 2008, but it was never implemented. Similarly, Pima County has allowed its Community Wildfire Protection Plan to expire. Our political leaders are doing useful things, but nobody has assumed responsibility for monitoring and mitigating this novel wildfire risk in our deserts.

What might this responsibility look like? In Pima County, land managers have already formed a Cooperative Weed Management Area to coordinate removal efforts. But they need more support from elected officials. We need county leaders to update Pima County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan, and commit to updating that plan with regular risk assessments that identify when and where invasive grasses pose an unreasonable fire risk. We need the state of Arizona to commit to an invasive species plan that would provide long-term, reliable funding, resources, and oversight for these efforts. Let’s not wait until tragedy strikes here to enact policy and take action that substantially and continually reduces our fire risk.