Giant Reed returns after summer fire

Photo by Mark Hengesbaugh, 8/13/11

Text by Mark Hengesbaugh: "Like Buffelgrass, another ferocious invader, Giant Reed stalks burn very hot even when green. The rhizomes, or roots, are unaffected by the heat and stalks regrow quickly before any native plants can become reestablished. Luckily, when that campfire at the Sabino Dam got out of hand earlier this year, the Giant Reed stalks had already been cut or we may have lost every tree. Still, this Giant Reed is the first large plant to come back strongly after the fire."