Masters of Desert Survival, Can Saguaros Survive Wildfires?
Romero S. 2021. Masters of Desert Survival, Can Saguaros Survive Wildfires?. The New York Times. New York City, New York. 04 Aug 2021. 11 pages
Wildfires are just one of many threats facing saguaros, as well as the mesquite, ironwood and palo verde plants that protect them. Additionally, unfettered growth of invasive species, especially the very flammable buffelgrass, has spurred more competition for scarce water resources while also fueling fast-moving and hotter fires. Urban sprawl of Arizona’s towns and cities threatens saguaro habitat. Arizona's Native Plant laws generally protect saguaros from being chopped down or dug up and stolen for re-sale profit, but the concrete in metro areas absorbs heat and holds on to it, creating nighttime temperatures higher than in the open desert, making it more difficult for saguaros to minimize water loss. Saguaros, can be exceptionally resilient once they mature, and could possibly respond and adapt to each hazard, but scientists warn that climate change may be turbocharging all the threats at once. Many groups are working to rid the region of the invasive buffelgrass, but it has proven to be a tough and ongoing challenge. Saguaros are a keystone species in the Sonoran Desert, long significant in the culture of the Tohono O'Odham people who annually harvest the fruit, making it into syrup or fermented wine.
- Type
- Newspaper Article
- Authors
- Romero, Simon
- Date of Issue
- 2021-08-04
- Publisher
- New York Times
- Units
- SAGU
- Keywords
- Bighorn Fire, buffelgrass, Bush Fire, climate change, elf owl, fires, gila woodpecker, invasive plants, keystone species, kuipad, lesser long-nosed bats, saguaros, threats, Tohono O'odham, Tucson Desert Laboratory, urban sprawl
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Desert Communities , Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Fire and Fuel Dynamics | Fire and Fuel Dynamics , NPS.gov Subject Site: Climate Change , NPS.gov Subject Site: Deserts , NPS.gov Subject Site: Fire , NPS.gov Subject Site: Iconic Trees