The role of plant community development in wind erosion mitigation post-wildfire

Authors: MORRA, BRIAN - University Of Nevada; Newingham, Beth; HOWARD, BRIAN - Former ARS Employee; Webb, Nicholas; Treminio, Ronald

Submitted to: Fire Ecology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/5/2025
Publication Date: 1/17/2026
Citation: Morra, B., Newingham, B.A., Howard, B., Webb, N.P., Treminio, R.S. 2026. The role of plant community development in wind erosion mitigation post-wildfire. Fire Ecology. 22. Article 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-025-00436-6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-025-00436-6

Interpretive Summary: Wind erosion can cause land degradation in semiarid ecosystems and is substantially increased following wildfire. Although plant regrowth is an important source of site stability following wildfire, plants differ in their ability to protect soils from wind erosion and differ in their distribution following wildfire. As a result, rates of wind erosion can span four orders of magnitude in the years following wildfire. Using measurements of aeolian sediment flux and plant community development from seven sites following wildfire, we identified ordinal plant communities to develop a quantitative index of site stability post-wildfire. Using these plant communities, we modeled how management focusing on reducing a single plant functional group (e.g. fuel treatments) may impact wind erosion as plant communities redeveloped after wildfire. We found the outcome of management focused on a single functional group has different impacts on wind erosion based on its surrounding plant community and time since wildfire. Elucidating the role of plant functional groups in mitigating wind erosion can guide managers on post-wildfire and post-treatment options to reduce wind erosion risk.

Technical Abstract: Background Wind erosion can cause land degradation in semiarid ecosystems and is substantially increased following wildfire. Although plant regrowth is an important source of site stability following wildfire, plants differ in their ability to protect soils from wind erosion and differ in their distribution following wildfire. As a result, rates of wind erosion can span four orders of magnitude in the years following wildfire. Results Using measurements of aeolian sediment flux and plant community development from seven sites following wildfire, we identified ordinal plant communities to develop a quantitative index of site stability post-wildfire. Using these plant communities, we modeled how management focusing on reducing a single plant functional group (e.g. fuel treatments) may impact wind erosion as plant communities redeveloped after wildfire. We found the outcome of management focused on a single functional group has different impacts on wind erosion based on its surrounding plant community and time since wildfire. Conclusions Elucidating the role of plant functional groups in mitigating wind erosion can guide managers on post-wildfire and post-treatment options to reduce wind erosion risk.