Stop, Drop, & Roll Out the Biocrust Sods: Targeting the Grass-Fire Cycle Through Soil-Surface Rehab скачать в хорошем качестве

Stop, Drop, & Roll Out the Biocrust Sods: Targeting the Grass-Fire Cycle Through Soil-Surface Rehab

Summary: Learn about the potential uses of biological soil crust sods (biocrust sods) for degraded soils restoration and as fire and fuel breaks in desert environments. Recorded on: Wednesday, August 27 Description: Biocrust sods (portable islands of lichens, mosses, cyanobacteria, and other organisms that form the cohesive soil communities known as biological soil crusts) are a novel technique for restoring critical soil systems in degraded landscapes. Because biocrusts can suppress the emergence of exotic plants, biocrust sods may also serve as living, ecologically beneficial fuel breaks in regions where the grass-fire cycle is driving more frequent fires. This presentation offers preliminary results from studies in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, where researchers have been testing the capabilities of these new restoration tools. Anyone interested in soil ecology, restoration, or fire will gain a new appreciation for biocrusts and their potential as critical restoration partners in two American deserts. Presenter: Keven Griffen, PhD Student, Northern Arizona University School of Forestry and Center for Ecosystem Science and Society Additional resources: Desert and Intermountain Restoration Team (DIRT) website: https://dirtlab.weebly.com/ Several papers by other authors mentioned during the presentation: Could biological soil crusts act as natural fire fuel breaks in the sagebrush steppe? https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3971 The fate of biological soil crusts after fire: A meta-analysis. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.... The Recovery of Mediterranean Soils After Post-Fire Management: The Role of Biocrusts and Soil Microbial Communities. https://doi.org/10.3389/sjss.2023.11388 Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:46 Research description and credit 2:17 Why do we need to rehab soils in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts? 4:55 What is driving the fire regime change in desert ecosystems? 7:49 Biocrusts: What they are? and How can they help? 12:59 Research questions 14:11 What is a biocrust sod? What does it do? What does it look like? 17:20 How to make biocrust sod 20:30 Case studies in Sonoran and Mojave Deserts 21:16 Case study: Biocrust sods as living fuel breaks in the Sonoran Desert 27:57 Case study: Protecting watersheds post-fire 33:10 Case study: Reupholstering the Mojave Desert 39:25 Conclusions: Successes, challenges, and when/where to use biocrust sods 44:10 Q & A The "I don't have time to watch the full webinar" CHATGPT Video Summary Desert wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense due to invasive annual grasses, climate change, and human activity. These fires create a “grass–fire cycle,” converting native shrublands into flammable grasslands and causing severe erosion and ecosystem loss. Kevin Griffin’s research explores biocrust sods—rollable mats made of living biological soil crusts (biocrusts) that can restore soil stability, suppress invasive species, and act as living fire breaks. Biocrusts—communities of cyanobacteria, mosses, and lichens—naturally stabilize soil, fix nitrogen, and inhibit weed growth, but are vulnerable to disturbance and slow to recover after fire. The Biocrust Sod Innovation Each sod consists of biodegradable layers: a base weed barrier (paper or PLA), jute mesh for structure, and a soil top infused with live biocrust inoculum. They are grown for a season, rolled, and deployed like grass sod for immediate soil cover and stabilization. Case Study 1 – Sonoran Desert, Arizona After the 2021 Telegraph Fire, sods were installed across varying burn severities. Results showed: Higher biocrust cover in sod plots versus controls, reduced invasive grass cover (Bromus rubens, Schismus), improved soil stability. Fire resilience: Sods survived a 2024 reburn and appeared to slow fire spread. Case Study 2 – Roosevelt Lake Watershed Biocrust sods were tested for erosion control on burned slopes. While sods stayed intact, low rainfall limited measurable erosion differences. Long-term monitoring continues. Case Study 3 – Mojave Desert “Reupholstering” Project Across three Mojave sites, sods increased biocrust cover and reduced weeds. Corn vs. paper weed barriers performed similarly. Rodent damage reduced success in some plots. Native seeding on sods showed limited germination. Despite challenges, sods improved soil stability and maintained structure even after herbicide exposure.