At Rock Canyon Trailhead in Provo, Utah, BYU researchers are fighting fires with flowers. By replacing a problematic weed called cheatgrass with wildflowers, students and faculty are working to protect and restore one of Provo’s most popular hiking spots.
While it may seem like a harmless weed, cheatgrass is an invasive species that turns dry and brittle during the summer, providing perfect kindling for wildfires. The grass grows densely, consuming water and leaving little space for native plants.
Phil Allen, a BYU Plant and Wildlife Sciences professor, is leading efforts to restore the land surrounding Rock Canyon Trailhead to its natural state. The process first requires the elimination of cheatgrass and other invasive species. In other words, it requires sophisticated weeding.
“The tricky part is knowing which are weeds and which are flowers,” Allen said. “Both the weeds and the flowers look pretty similar when they’re young, so we have to pull the weeds very carefully and teach others to do the same.”
Thousands of BYU students have helped restore the Rock Canyon Trailhead park over the past 25 years to make way for the 130 native plant species that used to populate the area in abundance. The students’ efforts are part of a larger restoration and improvement project in partnership with Provo City, which added a new parking lot, amphitheater, educational signage and additional trails.
The next step of the project is to recreate the native landscape of Rock Canyon. Unfortunately, seeds for the native plants aren’t sold at the store alongside pansies and daffodils. Instead, Allen and his students collect wildflower seeds from across the Wasatch Front and grow them in small test plots to see which ones will thrive at Rock Canyon.
“Our goal is to create landscapes that require less water and are more sustainable,” said Abigail Lundberg, one of the student researchers. “These wildflowers will also help prevent fires and are a lot more beautiful than cheatgrass.”
Allen and his students are hoping to get others to join the project too. Community members can help preserve the canyon’s beauty by adopting an area of the trailhead to regularly weed and maintain.
“We are blessed to have such a treasure so close to campus,” Allen said. “Taking care of these precious landscapes will enable more people to have deeper experiences with nature for years to come.”
