[PCA] NEWS: Study conclusion: Fire Fighting retardant encourages weeds in grasslands
Olivia Kwong
plant at plantconservation.org
Tue Feb 19 09:58:23 CST 2008
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/02/03/news/mtregional/news07.txt
*Researchers analyze retardant use*
By JOHN CRAMER of the Missoulian
Fire retardant dropped from aircraft has been found to kill fish, but a
new study on Mount Jumbo suggests it also spreads some species of
noxious weeds across Montana's native grasslands.
The study raises the possibility that the red slurry, while helping to
slow a wildfire's advance, could ultimately worsen grassland fires by
promoting the growth of cheatgrass, one of the most flammable invasive
weeds in the West.
See the link above for the full article text.
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