On May 6, 2026, CAST released Integrated Management of Fire-Adapted Invasive Plants That Change Wildfire Regimes live during a free public webinar. The recording is now available to watch in full.

Not all invasive plants fuel wildfires. Some suppress them — by outcompeting the grasses and shrubs that would otherwise carry fire across the landscape. Both dynamics alter native ecosystems, both require management, and both are largely absent from the policy conversation.

This webinar presents the key findings of the publication: the science of invasive plant fire dynamics, the policy landscape and its shortcomings, integrated pest management approaches, and landscape restoration strategies following invasion and wildfire — with regional case studies from California, the Southeastern United States and the Sagebrush Steppe.

Speakers

Presenter

• Brian Mealor — Professor and Director of the Sheridan Research & Extension Center and the Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems, University of Wyoming

Moderators

• Greg Dahl — CAST Representative, Western Society of Weed Science
• Matthew Baur — Director, Western Integrated Pest Management Center

The Publication

The full publication is free and publicly available.

📄 Read the publication →

What the Publication Covers

• How fire-adapted invasive plants like cheatgrass and buffelgrass alter fire frequency and intensity, creating feedback loops that favor further invasion
• Why invasive plants that suppress fire are equally important to understand and manage
• Key policy frameworks and their shortcomings in fire-prone landscapes
• Integrated pest management approaches for invasive plants in wildfire contexts
• Restoration strategies following invasion and wildfire, with regional case studies from California, the Southeast and the Sagebrush Steppe

Who Should Watch

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

Watch the Recording