The researchers measured atmospheric nitrogen deposition levels at ten sites throughout the Santa Monica Mountains and found significantly higher pollution levels in the eastern end, closer to Los Angeles.
Generally attributed to vehicle emissions in the Santa Monica Mountains, nitrogen deposition is the air pollution from industry, agriculture and transportation that settles out of the atmosphere and onto the earth’s surface.
The study is helping the scientists better understand how high nitrogen levels affect native vegetation and what that might mean for fire risk in such a fire-prone region.
“Invasive annual grasses from the Mediterranean have a greater growth response to nitrogen than most native species, and are crowding out native plants,” says Edith Allen, a professor of plant ecology and Cooperative Extension specialist at UC Riverside, and the principal investigator for the study. “Grasses also produce fine, flashy fuels that cause more frequent and larger fires, promoting vegetation-type conversion from native shrubland to exotic annual grassland.”
The preliminary results are from the first year of a three-year study undertaken by Allen, Irina Irvine, a restoration ecologist for Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and Andrzej Bytnerowicz and Mark Fenn of the U.S. Forest Service.
At the two sites with the best air quality, the researchers added various levels of nitrogen fertilizer into experimental plots of coastal sage scrub to simulate pollution levels found throughout the mountains. They found that the higher levels of nitrogen led to a decline in native shrub seedlings and an increase in nonnative grasses.
Other studies in Australia and California have demonstrated a link between nonnative grasses, also known as “flashy fuels,” and larger and more frequent wildfires.
“The recent fire of May 2013 burned our research plots, but provides an opportunity to learn how invasive grasses compete with native seedlings establishing post fire under nitrogen deposition,” Allen said. “The data will enable us to determine critical loads of nitrogen deposition to help set clean air regulations to protect native ecosystems.”
Coastal sage scrub once covered much of coastal California and is now an endangered habitat type, primarily due to development.
Funded by the National Park Service’s Air Resources Division, the $100,000 study will help the scientists better determine the “critical load” when vegetation shifts, causing alterations to the structure and functionality of ecosystems.
For more information, please visit: http://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/20098
- Author: Pat Bailey
A statewide survey and follow-up interviews by the research team document a deep and growing concern over the severe conditions facing the ranching community. More than one-third of interviewed ranchers expect devastating impacts to their operations if drought conditions persist.
UC Davis postdoctoral researcher Leslie Roche and colleagues surveyed 511 ranchers across the state about their management decisions, including how they respond to drought. She is following up the survey with in-depth interviews to dig deeper into the specific factors affecting each ranching family and, so far, has met in person with more than 60 ranchers across California.
“Last year’s drought has really been on a lot of people’s minds,” said Roche. “But because this winter drought has hit so hard, it’s an extremely prominent concern among ranchers right now.”
She noted that ranching is often the sector of California agriculture that is most vulnerable to drought because it depends on rain-fed systems, rather than stored water or groundwater.
In 2013, California experienced its driest year on record, and the state’s current snowpack is just 17 percent of average. As a result, the state government and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have declared drought emergencies for California.
A statewide drought, such as the one that occurred from 1976 to 1977, would today exacerbate the effects of earlier regional droughts, according to many of the ranchers who responded to the UC Davis survey. With already conservative numbers of cattle in their herds, ranchers must now consider culling their herds to stay afloat as production costs rise.
California ranchers are accustomed to surviving drought. With a Mediterranean climate, drought conditions occur for about four months every year during the summer dry season. The last two winter wet seasons, however, have been below normal, forcing many ranchers to already implement drought plans. Most ranchers interviewed said that three to four of the last 10 years have been in drought. When asked if they consider themselves adaptive managers, almost all said, “you have to be.”
“Multi-generation ranchers, who have been viable in this state for a long time, have a lot to tell us from their own experience,” said Ken Tate, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis.
“They have to have flexibility and options in order to adapt,” Tate said. “Those who have less flexibility -- fewer types of forage, fewer places to go with cattle -- tend to be the ones having a harder time adapting to drought because their ‘toolbox’ is smaller.”
The UC Davis research team discovered that 99 percent of the ranchers surveyed depend on other ranchers as a trusted source of information. The team’s participatory research is tapping into that knowledge and experience so that it can be shared widely to the benefit of other ranchers, as well as policymakers and researchers. The survey is connecting campus directly to ranchers, opening up a wealth of research opportunities that will shed light on what management practices under what conditions work best for California ranchers. Through this study, state and federal resource-management agencies and drought-assistance programs are gaining a better understanding of what drought and other important issues mean to the ranching industry.
Information on how ranchers are dealing with the drought now is giving others in the agriculture industry a comparison of how extensive the drought’s impacts will be for them later.
“Other folks in ag are watching,” said Tate, “because they’re looking to planting time coming up soon for the summer crops, and they don’t know how much water they’re going to get.”
Other researchers involved in the study are Mark Lubell and Tracy Schohr of UC Davis, Justin Derner of the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bethany Cutts of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Lynn Huntsinger of UC Berkeley. The project is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the survey was conducted in partnership with the California Cattlemen’s Association and the California Farm Bureau Federation.
More information about the survey can be found online at the Rangeland Watershed Laboratory.
Media contacts:
- Ken Tate, Plant Sciences, (530) 754-8988, kwtate@ucdavis.edu
- Leslie Roche, Plant Sciences, lmroche@ucdavis.edu
- Pat Bailey, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-9843, pjbailey@ucdavis.edu
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Nineteen UC academics – including UC Cooperative Extension county advisors, UC Cooperative Extension specialists, and leaders from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) – will make half-hour presentations on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. over the course of the three-day show. All presentations will be inside a heated tent at space K50, just east of Pavilion B.
UC Cooperative Extension was established by an act of Congress in 1914 to help farmers, homemakers, and youth incorporate the latest university research into their lives. At first geared towards strengthening rural areas, UC Cooperative Extension has become integral to urban and suburban communities as well. A century later, UC Cooperative Extension advisors and researchers live and work in every California county and partner with local communities to solve economic, agricultural, natural resource, youth development and nutrition issues. Throughout 2014, UC Cooperative Extension will host special events to celebrate the organization’s 100 years of science and service. The centennial kicks off with the speakers’ series at the World Ag Expo, the world’s largest agricultural exposition.
“Conducting research and providing practical information to farmers and the general public are the hallmarks of UC Cooperative Extension,” said Marissa Stein, UCCE centennial coordinator. “We will be celebrating our centennial by doing what we do best – extending information that benefits communities and local economies in California.”
The theme for UCCE centennial presentations on opening day, Feb. 11, is “The good, the bad and the ugly: Species in California,” which focuses on species that benefit and imperil agriculture and urban landscapes. Speakers will discuss the use of natural enemies to control pests, insect problems that have been introduced into California from other countries, and the imminent threat of Asian citrus psyllid to the state’s commercial citrus-producing areas. The mystery of honeybee colony collapse disorder and the perennial menace of pocket gophers and squirrels will also be addressed. Bill Frost, associate vice president of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and a rangeland management expert, will speak about introduced species that threaten California’s prized wildlands.
Presentations on the second day of the show, Feb. 12, focus on “Wholesome food for a hungry planet.” Featured speaker Barbara Allen-Diaz, UC vice president for Agriculture and Natural Resources will speak at 11 a.m. about “Building on UC ANR research to help feed the world.” Other topics that day will be emerging diseases affecting landscapes and orchards, tracking pathogens in the fresh produce industry, using World War I gardens as a model for modern food systems, and incorporating a healthy local food into the diet.
The final day of the show, seven UC presenters will address the theme “Sustainable is attainable.” The experts will discuss such critical current topics as nitrate and groundwater management, the potential for producing biofuel from California crops, and the adoption of new conservation systems that will revolutionize row crop production in the San Joaquin Valley. Current research findings on cotton production, weed management and air pollution sources round out the day’s offerings.
Following is the complete UC Cooperative Extension speaker schedule for the 2014 World Ag Expo:
Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014
Theme: The good, the bad and the ugly: Species in California
10 a.m.
A call to action: Battling invasive pests in California
David Haviland
UCCE advisor in Kern County
11 a.m.
Introduced species threaten California’s prized wildlands
Bill Frost, Ph.D.
Associate Vice President, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
12 noon
The looming threat of Asian citrus psyllid and huanglongbing disease in California citrus
Elizabeth Grafton-Cardwell, Ph.D.
UCCE specialist in the Department of Entomology, UC Riverside
Director, UC Lindcove Research and Extension Center
1 p.m.
A great mystery of our time: Disappearing honeybees
Shannon Mueller, Ph.D.
UCCE advisor and County Director, Fresno County
2 p.m.
Biological control: When do natural enemies work and when do they fail?
Kent Daane, Ph.D.
UCCE specialist in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, UC Berkeley, based at UC Kearney Research and Extension Center
3 p.m.
Beyond Wile E. Coyote: Pocket gopher and ground squirrel control in agriculture and at home
Roger Baldwin, Ph.D.
UCCE specialist in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, UC Davis
Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014
Theme: Wholesome food for a hungry planet
10 a.m.
Landscapes and orchards challenged by emerging diseases
Elizabeth Fichtner, Ph.D.
UCCE advisor in Tulare County
11 a.m.
Building on UC ANR research to help feed the world
Barbara Allen-Diaz, Ph.D.
UC Vice President, Agriculture and Natural Resources
12 noon
Tracking the source of pathogens for California’s produce industry
Rob Atwill, DVM, Ph.D.
Director, Veterinary Medicine Extension, UC Davis
1 p.m.
World War I gardens as a model for modern food systems
Rose Hayden-Smith, Ph.D.
UCCE advisor in Ventura County
2 p.m.
Improve your diet with healthy, protein-rich, low-calorie, inexpensive and locally grown food
Cathi Lamp
UCCE advisor in Tulare County
3 p.m.
Alfalfa: Ice cream in the making
Dan Putnam, Ph.D.
UCCE specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis
Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014
Theme: Sustainable is attainable
10 a.m.
From nitrate to drought: ANR solutions for California’s water management challenges
Doug Parker, Ph.D.
Director, UC California Institute for Water Resources
10:30 a.m.
Sustaining groundwater resources to feed the world
Thomas Harter, Ph.D.
UCCE specialist in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, UC Davis
11 a.m.
Precise irrigation + cover crops – tillage = A formula for farm sustainability
Jeff Mitchell, Ph.D.
UCCE specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis, , based at UC Kearney Research and Extension Center
12 noon
A surprising source of air pollution from dairies: It’s not the cows
Frank Mitloehner, Ph.D.
UCCE specialist in the Department of Animal Science, UC Davis
1 p.m.
Cotton research: Protecting what you wear!
Bob Hutmacher, Ph.D.
UCCE specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis
Director, UC West Side Research and Extension Center
2 p.m.
Can we produce bioenergy from crops in California?
Steve Kaffka, Ph.D.
UCCE specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis
3 p.m.
Weed management strategies – past, current, future
Steve Wright
UCCE advisor in Tulare and Kings counties
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
The Fogarty family has been in the cattle ranching business in Stanislaus County since the 1870s. In recent years, they’ve seen rangeland around them converted to housing and orchards. “With the conversion around us, we are affected with a declining water table, increased traffic and rural crime associated with high production agriculture,” said Bill Fogarty.
Ranchers, researchers, managers, agency representatives and conservationists will gather in January to discuss challenges and opportunities in maintaining rangelands.
Keeping rangelands and ranches viable for wildlife, wetlands and water will be discussed at the 9th annual California Rangeland Conservation Coalition Summit set for Jan. 21-22 at the Gene Bianchi Community Center in Oakdale, 16 miles northeast of Modesto. The summit is sponsored by the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition and the University of California Cooperative Extension.
“This event is a time for ranchers to showcase their positive role in stewarding California’s wide open spaces and their contributions to the state’s economy,” said Tim Koopmann, president of the California Cattlemen’s Association. “Ranchers who attend the annual event learn valuable information on the latest research outcomes about best management practices for their land that simultaneously improve the natural resources and economic profitability.”
At risk is the future of California’s ranching industry and the ecosystem services that ranches provide: diverse wildlife, unique wetlands and healthy watersheds. At the rangeland summit, ranchers, researchers, land managers, agency representatives and conservationists will focus on rangeland science, land management, land-use policy and livestock production.
The event will feature presentations on the challenges ranchers face, impacts of rangeland conversion to natural resources and opportunities to support working ranches and rancher stewardship. Ranchers from Colorado and Montana will share new opportunities they are finding to keep ranching viable through conservation efforts.
The first day of the two-day summit will feature presentations and a ranch tour on the second day.
“University of California Cooperative Extension is pleased to be a partner in bringing together a diverse group of people interested in rangelands to discuss the opportunities and challenges for keeping California’s ranches working to support communities and habitat,” said Theresa Becchetti, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. “We are particularly fortunate to be able to hold this meeting and engage in a constructive dialogue with stakeholders in Oakdale, where rangelands and associated resources are at risk.”
This event is sponsored by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Environmental Defense, Audubon California, California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, California Cattlemen’s Association, California Native Plant Society, California Rangeland Trust, Santa Clara County Open Space Authority, Center for Natural Lands Management, Defenders of Wildlife, Cal-Pac Chapter Society for Range Management, East Bay Regional Park District, Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative - California, Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Fish and Wildlife – Partners Program, Mid-Peninsula Open Space District, Point Blue Conservation, Sierra Business Council, Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Sustainable Conservation, InterWest Insurance Services, Inc., The Nature Conservancy, Koopmann Rangeland Consulting, and Westervelt Ecological Services. In addition, Oakdale Cowboy Museum and numerous private ranchers are sponsors, hosts and speakers.
The event is open to ranchers, researchers, land managers, agency representatives, conservationists and others interested in California’s rangelands. Journalists are encouraged to attend the event. For more information, visit http://www.carangeland.org/calendarevents/2014summit.html or call Pelayo Alvarez at (916) 313-5800, ext. 107.
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The California Rangeland Conservation Coalition is a group of over 125 agricultural groups, nonprofit organizations, researchers and government agencies representing a broad cross-section of California’s ranching and environmental communities. The disparate groups are united by their recognition of the importance of California’s working rangelands for natural resources, plant and wildlife species, cultural values and economics. The Rangeland Coalition began in 2005 with a small group of organizations committed to protecting rangelands within California’s Central Valley and Interior Coast ranges. www.carangeland.org
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Daane and his research associates followed moth populations in organic and conventional fields to document this observed change and determine if there were any specific causes for increases in raisin moth densities. In a 2013 season study, UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center entomologists found that spring to early summer pheromone trap catches of raisin moths were prevalent across numerous vineyards, regardless of management practices. However, overall seasonal damage in 2013 was low.
“The primary difference between vineyard sites with or without raisin moth damage appeared to be well-timed and effective insecticide sprays,” Daane said. “One problem for organic sites may be the availability of insecticide materials that have long enough residual activity to control the larvae of adult moths entering the vineyard, and once the larvae are deep inside the grape cluster they are difficult to control.”
In addition to Daane’s report, the San Joaquin Valley Grape Symposium includes the following research updates:
- Rootstocks for raisin production by Sonet Von Zyl, Fresno State University
- Raisin production canopy management by Matthew Fidelibus, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis, based at the UC Kearney Ag REC in Parlier
- Raisin grape breeding program by Craig Ledbetter, USDA Agricultural Research Service, based in Parlier
- Economics of producing raisins, by Annette Levi, Fresno State University
- Grapevine trunk diseases and grower survey
The symposium begins with registration at 7 a.m. and concludes following lunch at 1 p.m. at the C.P.D.E.S. Hall, 172 W. Jefferson Ave., Easton, Calif.
Registration is $15 in advance and includes lunch. Registration at the door is $20. To preregister, send the names of attendees and a check payable to UC Regents for $15 each to San Joaquin Valley Grape Symposium, 550 E. Shaw Ave., Suite 210-B, Fresno, CA 93710. To register with a credit card, fill out the online registration form at http://ucanr.edu/sjv2014.