The Sonoran Desert Research Program: Background

In recent decades, non-native plants have been invading the Sonoran Desert and Arizona landscapes, forever changing the natural beauty of Arizona deserts and creating serious threats, including the loss of native plants and animals (biodiversity). Many of these non-native invasive plant species have become particularly pervasive, also acting as substantial fuel sources that allow fires to spread more rapidly and become more costly and destructive in a region where fire was not historically common. In the last 8 years, Arizona has experienced fires of uncharacteristic size and severity, burning or destroying more than a million acres and costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. These are direct costs that include the actual costs to fight the fires, property damage and loss, and loss of income.

A new Sonoran Desert research program, coordinated by NAU faculty and made possible, in part, by a large grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), is an effort to address these costly threats. NAU researchers will be utilizing cutting-edge data collection methods and satellite technology to create computer models of current and future landscape conditions that will guide state and federal land managers and help shape public policy. The area being studied covers over 34,000 square miles; almost one third of the entire state of Arizona. It encompasses large expanses of the Sonoran Desert, and includes federal lands in Arizona used for testing and training activities by the DoD. In the past, these activities accidently have led to larger and more costly fires on and off DoD lands. By funding this project, the DoD is committed to researching sustainable land management practices that also will prevent devastating fires or changes to the natural environment. As part of the Sonoran Desert research program, multiple projects will take place over four years, including other research efforts investigating wildlife habitat quality and climate change scenarios. The problematic species targeted by these research efforts include African buffelgrass, red brome, Sahara mustard, Mediterranean grass, and arugula.

These projects are directed by three NAU faculty and include several research specialists, two postdoctoral fellows, three graduate students, and dozens of NAU undergraduates from the Flagstaff and Yuma campuses. Preliminary data collection began last fall (2010). The field work will continue beginning in late January and extending through March (2011).