Invasive annual grasses are reshaping fire behavior across California, increasing ignition frequency and altering recovery pathways in fire prone landscapes. This webinar explores how invasive plants contribute to wildfire risk and what land managers can do in response. Dr. Robert Fitch will provide a broad ecological perspective on grass driven fire cycles and share findings from revegetation trials designed to reduce fire risk while supporting native ecosystem recovery in the wildland urban interface. Participants will gain insight into the science behind invasive grass driven fire dynamics as well as practical strategies for post fire restoration and long term risk reduction.

Robert Fitch, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California Santa Barbara
Robert Fitch is a vegetation and fire ecologist whose work focuses on developing science to support land management in California. His research integrates fire science and restoration ecology to better understand how wildfire risk can be reduced while enhancing native ecosystems in the wildland urban interface.