March 18, 2026 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm CDT
Invasive annual grasses are reshaping fire behavior across California, increasing ignition frequency and altering recovery pathways in fire prone landscapes. This webinar brings together leading researchers to explore how invasive plants contribute to wildfire risk and what land managers can do in response. Dr. Carla D’Antonio will provide a broad ecological perspective on grass driven fire cycles, followed by Robert Fitch, who will share insights from revegetation trials aimed at reducing fire risk while supporting native ecosystem recovery in the wildland urban interface.
Dr. Carla D’Antonio, Schuyler Professor of Environmental Studies, University of California Santa Barbara
Dr. Carla D’Antonio is a terrestrial ecologist whose research and teaching focus on invasive species, vegetation change, and the application of ecological science to land management and restoration. Her work examines how invasive plants influence ecosystem processes, including wildfire dynamics, across chaparral, grassland, and forest ecosystems. She works closely with land managers in California and Hawai‘i to link ecological research with on the ground conservation and restoration efforts.
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.