Reposted from Berkeley News
For nearly half a century, lightning-sparked blazes in Yosemite's Illilouette Creek Basin have rippled across the landscape — closely monitored, but largely unchecked. Their flames might explode into plumes of heat that burn whole hillsides at once, or sit smoldering in the underbrush for months.
The result is approximately 60 square miles of forest that look remarkably different from other parts of the Sierra Nevada: Instead of dense, wall-to-wall tree cover — the outcome of more than a century of fire suppression — the landscape is broken up by patches...
Enjoying and protecting nature are cited as the top two ‘very important' reasons why private forest landowners in the UC ANR Forest Stewardship Workshops own forestland. Many of these landowners express a desire to have their forest return to an ‘old-growth' state. But, what exactly does this mean? UC Berkeley Silviculture Professor Emeritus, John Helms, says this depends on several things.
Some definitions focus on tree or stand age and size, some on whether the area has been previously harvested and some on the structure of the forest in place now. Defining old-growth trees and stands usually...
Reposted from the UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources News
As fire once again sweeps through the American West, an interagency report formally released today estimates that 7,500 to 10,600 large giant sequoias were killed in last year's Castle Fire. This represents 10-14% of large sequoias in the world. Today, the agencies united by stewardship of giant sequoias are officially coming together in partnership, under the new Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition, to...
Reposted from UC ANR News
As the Beckwourth Complex Fire and Dixie Fire spread in Plumas and Lassen counties, Ryan Tompkins reminded residents of ways they could help limit damage.
“If you're under evacuation orders, abide by the evacuation notice, because lingering too long can complicate tactics of emergency responders,” said the University of California Cooperative Extension forestry and natural resources advisor,...
Reposted from UC ANR news
A team of California and Nevada fire scientists have produced a booklet with step-by-step guidance on retrofitting an existing home to be more resilient to fire.
Susie Kocher, UC Cooperative Extension forestry and natural resources advisor and co-author of the new guide, said some homeowners feel powerless to protect their homes against California's increasing wildfire threat.
