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#           Eyes on Earth Episode 66 - Exotic Annual Grasses      

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      By Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center       January 24, 2022    

## Eyes on Earth podcast

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Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we hear about the value of mapping fire-fueling invasive grasses in the Western U.S.

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**Summary**: The rangelands of the western United States are changing more quickly than many other parts of the lower 48. Miles upon miles of the area or semi-arid landscapes in states like Idaho, Montana and Nevada are now carpeted by fire fueling invasive grasses. Cheatgrass is the most prevalent, which is troublesome for several reasons. First off, it greens up and browns down really quickly, leaving a layer of tinder-like vegetation. In many areas, it fills in the formerly barren spaces between thicker bunchgrasses and sagebrush, which in turn helps fires move rapidly from fuel source to fuel source. On this episode of Eyes on Earth, we hear from the USGS EROS teams who use satellite data to map exotic annual grasses and a researcher who uses those maps to create monthly grass abundance estimates for firefighters and land managers.

**Guests:**Stephen Boyte, USGS EROS research physical scientist, Devendra Dahal, USGS EROS contractor, Matt Reeves, USDA Forest Service ecologist

**Host:** John Hult

**Producer:** John Hult

**Release date:** January 24, 2022

**More on Exotic Annual Grasses:**
                                - Fractional Estimates of Multiple Exotic Annual Grass (EAG) Species and Sandberg bluegrass in the Sagebrush Biome, USA, 2016 – 2020
                                - Fuelcast
                                - New USGS EROS Maps to Offer Aid in Understanding, Management of Invasive Grasses
                                - USGS EROS Work Informs USGS Sagebrush Ecosystem Efforts

Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we hear about the value of mapping fire-fueling invasive grasses in the Western U.S.

View Media Details

View

Download and Transcript Access

View Media Details

**Summary**: The rangelands of the western United States are changing more quickly than many other parts of the lower 48. Miles upon miles of the area or semi-arid landscapes in states like Idaho, Montana and Nevada are now carpeted by fire fueling invasive grasses. Cheatgrass is the most prevalent, which is troublesome for several reasons. First off, it greens up and browns down really quickly, leaving a layer of tinder-like vegetation. In many areas, it fills in the formerly barren spaces between thicker bunchgrasses and sagebrush, which in turn helps fires move rapidly from fuel source to fuel source. On this episode of Eyes on Earth, we hear from the USGS EROS teams who use satellite data to map exotic annual grasses and a researcher who uses those maps to create monthly grass abundance estimates for firefighters and land managers.

**Guests:**Stephen Boyte, USGS EROS research physical scientist, Devendra Dahal, USGS EROS contractor, Matt Reeves, USDA Forest Service ecologist

**Host:** John Hult

**Producer:** John Hult

**Release date:** January 24, 2022

**More on Exotic Annual Grasses:**
                                - Fractional Estimates of Multiple Exotic Annual Grass (EAG) Species and Sandberg bluegrass in the Sagebrush Biome, USA, 2016 – 2020
                                - Fuelcast
                                - New USGS EROS Maps to Offer Aid in Understanding, Management of Invasive Grasses
                                - USGS EROS Work Informs USGS Sagebrush Ecosystem Efforts