- Author: Mike Hsu
UC ANR hires more fire advisors to address growing threat to California communities
Bringing more expertise to more places across the state, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources continues to hire fire advisors to help communities prepare for one of the most devastating climate-fueled threats.
With wildfires a constant danger as drought grips California, five highly skilled UC Cooperative Extension experts have joined the organization since early May:
- Katie Low, statewide fire coordinator (and also serving Nevada and Placer counties)
- Alison Deak, fire advisor serving Mariposa, Fresno and Madera counties
- Tori Norville, fire advisor serving Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties
- Barb Satink Wolfson, fire advisor serving Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties
- Luca Carmignani, fire advisor serving Los Angeles and Orange counties
These positions – as well as other recent additions in agriculture and natural resources fields – are made possible by California's commitment, as reflected in the state budget, to improve the lives of residents in the face of a changing climate.
This robust team of fire experts provide broad knowledge and practical advice on a wide range of topics, including fire hazard mitigation, fire ecology, prescribed fire, wildland fire research, forest and wildlife management, and climate change effects.
Although their specific areas of expertise vary, all the new fire advisors are dedicated to helping residents and community groups across California become more fire-aware, adapted and resilient. They share vital information on how Californians can prepare homes, landscapes and property for wildfire.
Katie Low
First, she will coordinate and partner with UCCE fire advisors throughout California to develop and deliver wildfire-related science and outreach materials for a wide range of communities across the state. Low said encouraging diversity in the network of fire experts and engaged communities will be crucial.
“One of my goals is to help build and maintain a diverse and inclusive community of fire and natural resource professionals,” she said.
Based at the UCCE office in Auburn, Low also will collaborate with local natural resource professionals and residents in Nevada and Placer counties on projects that bolster community and ecosystem resilience to wildfire and climate change.
“I look forward to working with community groups, land managers and scientists to implement viable fire-resilient management strategies for ecosystems in the region and statewide,” Low said.
Equipped with bachelor's degrees in geography and ecosystems management and forestry, as well as a master's in forestry, all from UC Berkeley, Low brings to UC ANR a wealth of knowledge and a variety of experience.
As a fire and forest ecologist, she studied the impacts of fuels-reduction and forest-restoration treatments on Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forests. Low also worked as operations coordinator for the California Outdoor Engagement Coalition, and as a forestry aide for California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Forest Biometrics Program.
Low can be reached at 530-889-7385 and katlow@ucanr.edu; follow her on Twitter @lowseverityfire.
Alison Deak
Her role as fire advisor will include promoting the use of prescribed fire to help restore fire adapted landscapes. She will also prioritize community education, applied research and partnership building efforts that are based on scientifically informed ways to help communities mitigate, prepare for, and recover from wildfire.
Originally from northeast Ohio where there are no wildfires according to Deak, it was not until she moved to Colorado for college that she learned of their impact.
When the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire occurred, Deak felt like her playground was burning down so she acted. She began volunteering with the wildfire recovery effort and her career into fire science took off from there.
Deak earned a bachelor's in geography and environmental studies from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs and master's degrees in geography and nonprofit management from the University of Oregon.
Before moving to California and joining UC ANR, Deak worked as a wildland firefighter with the United States Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.
When asked what she is looking forward to most, Deak shared that she is passionate about increasing diversity in the fire science field and, particularly, empowering more women to join. She is eager to help community members prepare for wildfire and mitigate fire risk in a safe and competent manner.
Deak is located at the UC Cooperative Extension office in Mariposa County and can be reached at aldeak@ucanr.edu.
Tori Norville
In this capacity, Norville will work with residents and organizations within the wildland-urban interface to encourage and cultivate fire-adapted communities. She aims to provide education and outreach on home hardening, defensible space and the importance of forest and fuel management on the landscape.
While pursuing her bachelor's degree in forestry and natural resources at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Norville became interested in “disturbance ecology” – how factors such as disease, insects and fire affect landscapes and environments.
“Many of the forest health problems we are seeing are stemming from a lack of disturbance, which traditionally was fire,” Norville said.
Her understanding of fire and its effects deepened during her master's degree studies in forestry science (also at Cal Poly SLO), as well as through her seven years with CAL FIRE at the Jackson Demonstration State Forest in Mendocino County. She worked as the Registered Professional Forester for its Timber Sales Program, and then the Research and Demonstration Program.
Norville's firsthand experiences from the past few fire seasons have helped shape her goals and approach. She hopes to “work holistically with disturbances” – specifically fire – on the landscape to foster healthy forests and ecosystems that are adaptable and resilient, while also researching the environmental and social aspects of fuel-reduction projects and prescribed fire.
“Hopefully, I can begin to change the perception of fire from something we need to fear, to something we respect,” she said.
Norville, based at the UCCE office in Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, can be reached at trnorville@ucanr.edu.
Barb Satink Wolfson
Barb Satink Wolfson began in her role as UC Cooperative Extension fire advisor for Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties on June 30.
Her primary responsibilities include wildland fire-related research and outreach for the Central Coast region, while building trust, strong partnerships and collaborative relationships within both professional and non-professional communities.
Satink Wolfson earned her B.S. and M.S. in forestry from Northern Arizona University, and brings to UC ANR more than 20 years of fire-research and outreach experience in Arizona. Her favorite job, though, was working as a backcountry ranger in Yosemite National Park during her undergraduate years.
In her new role, Satink Wolfson hopes to address some of the questions behind the use of prescribed fire in a variety of ecosystems (such as coastal prairies and oak woodlands), and help all Central Coast communities build resilience to wildland fire so residents can live safely within fire-adapted landscapes.
Satink Wolfson, based at the UCCE office in Hollister, can be reached at bsatinkwolfson@ucanr.edu.
Luca Carmignani
Prior to joining UC ANR, Carmignani was a postdoctoral researcher in the Berkeley Fire Research Lab at UC Berkeley. His research has focused on fire and combustion applications, from wildland fires to material flammability.
He earned his Ph.D. in engineering sciences from the joint doctoral program between UC San Diego and San Diego State University after obtaining his bachelor's and master's degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Pisa in Italy.
Carmignani is based at South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine and can be reached at carmignani@ucanr.edu and (949) 237-2956. Follow him on Twitter @l_carmignani.
/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>- Author: Chris McDonald
Stinknet (Oncosiphon piluliferum, aka globe chamomile) is a winter annual that is spreading across Southern California and poses threats to wildlands, rangelands and agricultural areas. Stinknet was first found in western Riverside County in the early 1980's. It slowly spread to surrounding areas and by the late 1990's it was found in over a half dozen locations in Riverside and San Diego Counties. By this time, it had also spread to Phoenix. While stinknet has not been one of the fastest weeds to spread across the state (stinkwort, Dittrichia graveolens, is definitely a top contender for that spot, see here) it is now currently found in every county in Southern California (except Imperial, yet) with the largest infestations in Riverside and San Diego Counties. Stinknet continues to spread north across Los Angeles, the central valley and coast, and east across Arizona, it was also recently found in Las Vegas.
Identification
Stinknet is easiest to identify when in flower. At flowering, it grows from several inches to 3 feet tall.
Stinknet in full flower (Image credit: Chris McDonald)
A closeup of stinknet flowers (Image Credit: Chris McDonald)
Stinknet is closely related to the pineapple weeds (Matricaria spp., see here) and brass buttons (Cotula spp. see here and here), and resembles those more common weeds. The main difference is the flower of stinknet is very round, like a globe, (see above) while the flowers of pineapple weed and brass buttons tend to be slightly conical to half a sphere.
Brass buttons (Cotula coronopifilia Image credit: Carol Witham)
Pineapple weed and brass buttons also tend to grow more along the ground, and stinknet grows upright. Another diagnostic feature is that stinknet stinks. All plant parts have an unpleasant turpentine, pine or tar-like smell, and even very small plants have this smell. You can even smell the odor of a large field of stinknet when you are near a very large infestation.
Successful Control Options
Stinknet can be controlled with several herbicides that can be used in wildlands. Milestone (aminopyralid), Capstone (aminopyralid and triclopyr) and glyphosate are all highly effective at controlling stinknet, but only before the plants have flowered. Often if herbicides are applied after flowering, stinknet can finish flowering before the herbicides have killed the plant. Milestone and Capstone also provide season-long control of stinknet with suppression lasting up to and in some cases beyond 12 months. Several researchers, including myself, are working on other control measures and understanding its biology to better help managers control stinknet. Those projects should wrap up in the next year or two.
What doesn't work well at controlling stinknet?
Telar XP (chlorsulfuron) was not effective at controlling stinknet in Southern California. Transline (clopyralid) was inconsistent at controlling stinknet. Transline had shown promise of effective control in relatively dry years, but in other more wet years the treated plants were able to grow out of the treatment. Mechanical removal (mowing or string trimmers) has shown to be of limited effectiveness, mostly because the cut plants resprout and flower closer to the ground. Multiple cuttings close to the ground alleviate this problem and can provide good control, but a simple single cutting is not very effective. Stinkent can grow in dense patches so hand pulling will only work on a very small scale, and multiple sessions are needed. Stinknet is not palatable to livestock, so grazing will not be an effective management strategy and can make the problem worse.
Threats to California Agriculture
In Western Australia, stinknet is a problem weed in small grain crops. In both South Africa (the home range of stinknet) and Austrailia stinknet is a problem weed in rangelands too. This is because stinknet is unpalatable to many livestock. While stinknet is not currently known to be toxic, there are reports it can taint the meat and milk from those animals. If the patterns in Australia and South Africa hold in the US (and so far in a few observed cases it appears to be similar) and if stinknet continues to spread into rangelands and agricultural areas in California, then it will cause problems.
EDRR
Right now, the best way to keep stinknet from spreading locally in California is to identify early infestations and rapidly respond to those initial infestations. This strategy is called early detection and rapid response (EDRR). Fortunately, the largest stinknet populations are found in only a few locations in Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego Counties. However, numerous small populations occur across Southern California. I have also noticed that very few stinknet patches decline in size, once stinknet colonizes a site it tends to expand, or even hold its ground during a drought. The areas with the earliest known stinknet populations, in both California and Arizona, now have large, very high-density patches. Those patches can be over a dozen and up to hundreds of acres in extent. Stinknet appears to be a strong competitor especially in disturbed areas, but also in undisturbed wildlands too, and can quickly become the dominant plant. It does this by creating numerous small patches and as those patches grow, they form large blankets carpeting acres or long strips along roads and trails. Stopping those small stinknet patches can prevent them from turning into large infestations.
More information on stinknet will be available as our research progresses and we learn more about its biology, spread and controlling it.
- Author: Ben Faber
There is a wild world in those avocado orchards. A study was done locally of some of the carnivores besides humans that show up there.
Carnivore Use of Avocado Orchards Across and Agricultural-Wildland Gradient
Wide-ranging species cannot persist in reserves alone. Consequently, there is growing interest in the conservation value of agricultural lands that separate or buffer natural areas. The value of agricultural lands for wildlife habitat and connectivity varies as a function of the crop type and landscape context, and quantifying these differences will improve our ability to manage these lands more effectively for animals. In southern California, many species are present in avocado orchards, including mammalian carnivores. We examined occupancy of avocado orchards by mammalian carnivores across agricultural-wildland gradients in southern California with motion-activated cameras. More carnivore species were detected with cameras in orchards than in wildland sites, and for bobcats and gray foxes, orchards were associated with higher occupancy rates. Our results demonstrate that agricultural lands have potential to contribute to conservation by providing habitat or facilitating landscape connectivity.
Read on:
http://www.avocadosource.com/journals/plos_one/nogeiretheresa2013.pdf
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