Also over the winter holidays, I started the process of making paper from an invasive species of grass, Bromus Tectorum (better known as cheatgrass or downy brome), which has effectively taken over, producing significant structural and functional changes to most desert ecosystems in the US. The photos above show a bag of cheatgrass collected adjacent to a recent wildfire in the foothills outside Boise, Idaho, and the cheatgrass fibers being pounded with a rubber mallet. First, the grass was soaked for 24 hours, then cooked in a solution of water and soda ash (sodium carbonate) for two hours. Then, drained, thoroughly rinsed, the fibers were beat thoroughly for 45-50 minutes until the fibers dispersed evenly when added to water. I then dried the mass out in the oven (to prevent it from molding in transit) and stowed it away in my luggage to take back to Oslo. This is only a portion of the grass harvested, processing being limited by the research facilities (a home kitchen and whatever accoutrements I could find around the house).
