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Because it is so pervasive, it seems unlikely that cheatgrass, or june grass as some call it, will ever be eradicated from western lands. Still, Utah agriculture officials are to be applauded for taking more aggressive steps to control the non-native weed.
Last summer's wildfires in Central Utah underscore both the magnitude and the urgency of the battle. The fires claimed at least seven lives, severely polluted much of Utah's air and cost taxpayers some $36 million. Acreage burned in Utah has increased six-fold in the last decade.
Cheatgrass is an invader plant. It was accidentally introduced here in the mid 1800's. Now, it is everywhere. It crowds out native plants. It grows fast, dries out early in the summer and tends to burn every two to four years.
Earlier this year, Utah lawmakers made $2 million available for localized efforts to control cheatgrass fires. The approach is to plant long strips of other grasses that stay green longer and function as firebreaks in the cheatgrass.
Since federal land is also involved, KSL urges Uncle Sam as well to more aggressively fund efforts to control cheatgrass. Better to invest in prevention than to incur substantially higher costs down the road to battle potentially devastating fires.
