CAST Releases New Publication on Invasive Plants and Wildfire on May 6

News & Media

CAST will release Integrated Management of Fire-Adapted Invasive Plants That Change Wildfire Regimes live during a free public webinar on May 6 — the paper drops during the session.

April 30, 2026
By Communications Office

Invasive plants are rarely part of the wildfire conversation — but they should be. Some of the most damaging wildfires in recent decades have been fueled, in part, by fire-adapted invasive plants that alter the amount, type and distribution of fuels across the landscape.

On May 6, 2026, CAST will release Integrated Management of Fire-Adapted Invasive Plants That Change Wildfire Regimes live during this free public webinar. The paper will be made available to the public for the first time during the session. It examines the two-way relationship between invasive plants and fire regimes, the policy landscape governing invasive species management, and science-based tools for integrated management and landscape restoration.

Capital losses from California wildfires alone exceeded $150 billion in 2018. Federal firefighting costs run roughly $3 billion per year. An estimated 50 million homes sit in the wildland-urban interface. This publication makes the case that invasive plant management is a missing — and critical — piece of wildfire policy and practice.

What You’ll Learn

How fire-adapted invasive plants like cheatgrass and buffelgrass alter fire frequency and intensity, creating feedback loops that favor further invasion
Why some invasive plants reduce fire frequency — and why that matters just as much
Key policy frameworks and their shortcomings when it comes to invasive species in fire-prone landscapes
Integrated pest management approaches for invasive plants in wildfire contexts
Restoration strategies following invasion and wildfire, including regional case studies from California, the Southeast and the Sagebrush Steppe

Who Should Attend

Land managers, rangeland ecologists, fire management professionals, invasive species specialists, agricultural scientists, policymakers and anyone working at the intersection of invasive species and wildfire.

Moderators

Greg Dahl is the representative for the CAST Plant & Soil Sciences Workgroup and the Western Society of Weed Science. He has extensive experience in weed science and serves on the Council of Producers & Distributors of Agrotechnology.

Matthew Baur is director of the Western Integrated Pest Management Center. His work spans invasive species management, pest management policy and applied research across the western United States.

Brian Mealor is a Professor at the University of Wyoming, where he serves as Director of the Sheridan Research & Extension Center and Director of the Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems. His research focuses on invasive annual grass management and rangeland restoration in the West.

Open to all. The paper will be released during the webinar. A recording will be made available to registered participants following the event.

Event Details