The human-caused Hawk Fire in Nevada made headlines after it grew to 15,000 acres from Saturday, Aug. 22, to Sunday, Aug. 23. as winds pushed the flames into parts of northwest Reno. Like a majority of fast-growing fires, the Hawk Fire burned mainly in brush and grass — specifically, cheatgrass.
As reported by The Nevada Globe, the fire was “fueled by dry cheatgrass, gusty thermal canyon winds, and low humidity” and expanded to approximately 40 acres within a single hour. Immediate evacuation orders were issued for for some half dozen neighborhoods in and near northwest Reno as the wind-driven flames leaped roads and fire trucks and destroyed 47 homes.
Given the ability of cheatgrass seeds to survive fire and then sprout more quickly than native plant seeds, the burned area is now primed to become a cheatgrass monoculture with an increased likelihood of wildfire frequency and severity.
A piñon-juniper forest has been transformed into a cheatgrass monoculture following a wildfire in Nevada’s White Pine Range on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
