Understanding the difference between brittle and nonbrittle environments is critical to effective weed management. Capped soil in the front and freeze-thawed soil in the back surround a final stand of dead, oxidizing grass. Without organic matter on the soil to capture moisture, half or more of the rain that falls can wash away without soaking into the ground. Animal impact would enable new seedlings to germinate and recolonize this ground. Bennet Hills, Idaho.
Most weeds thrive in exposed soils where there is little competition from other plants.
To create a landscape of high-quality plant species it is necessary to optimize the use of available water to stimulate the germination and growth of desirable plants that can compete with weeds. Effective use of available moisture is especially important in environments where rainfall is unpredictable. All environments exist somewhere on a scale between being brittle or nonbrittle. The distinction between one and the other is not so much a measure of the quantity of moisture received, but how that moisture is distributed across time and geographic space. The degree of brittleness in an environment is largely a factor of how predictable the rains are there.