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Density And Germination Characteristics Of Seeds Of Bromus Tectorum In Field Seedbanks, J. A. Young, Charlie D. Clements

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Bromus tectorum is a highly invasive exotic weed that has spread over millions of hectares of grazing land in the semi-arid regions of far western North America. The annual grass is an important grazing resource, but herbage production is highly variable among years, depending on the amount and periodicity of precipitation. When production is abundant, the accumulations of fine-textured, early-maturing herbage increase the chance of ignition and the rate of spread of wildfires. On certain years the area burned in such fires may be several million hectares. Such fires destroy forage resources and degrade watershed quality on extensive areas as …