Heat, drought and an invasive grass are driving wildfires killing the giant saguaros in Arizona, raising concerns about how the cactus will recover without human intervention.
The beloved cactus, nearly 100 years older than Arizona itself, weathered generations of storms and droughts, until it toppled to the ground after August rains.
NOAA’s 2022 Arizona Climate Summary says the state got hotter and rainfall remained highly variable from 2017-20. This might not sound like news, but experts say we need to take a closer look at the changes – especially increased nighttime temperatures in metro Phoenix.
Fires accelerated by climate change, along with invasive plants and urban sprawl, threaten the saguaros, a keystone species of the Sonoran Desert and a celebrated symbol of the Southwest.
