- Author: Kim Ingram
According to the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) 2019 report for California, 179,446 acres of forestland convert to non-forest use (such as subdivisions for residential or commercial development) annually. While that may seem like a relatively small number compared to the 31+ million acres of forestland overall in California, it means a great deal if that land is next to yours.
For 32 years, the USDA Forest Service and CAL FIRE have collaborated with forest landowners and other partners to preserve over 117,000 acres of forest lands in California through the Forest Legacy Program. The goals of the...
- Author: Grace Dean
Earth Day 2023 celebrates the ways in which we can all invest in our planet, and forest landowners play a considerable role in this. Part of being a forest landowner is deciding where and when to invest your time, money, and energy. To assist them, the UCCE Forest Research and Outreach team collaborated with four experienced landowners to highlight ten tools a first-time forest landowner can invest in.
Listed below, these ten tools expand past saws and rakes to include tools that educate landowners and support their management activities. We hope this compilation gives readers new to forest management a proper start.
1....
- Author: Yana Valachovic
As we prepare for wildfire in 2023, we reflect on what we learned from the 2022 fire season. From a statistical point of view, fewer acres were burned, and fortunately, fewer lives and homes were lost. Less than 400,000 acres were burned, a sevenfold reduction from 2021. On a similar note, less than 1,000 structures were destroyed by wildfire, representing a fourfold reduction from 2021. Those are significant changes, but as I reflect on my experience studying the vulnerabilities in our communities to wildfire, sadly, I need to share that “we're not out of the...
- Author: Kim Ingram
“We all have a strong emotional attachment to the land and so that's the thing that drives us to work hard to maintain it and keep it healthy.”
For those of us within UC ANR who are actively involved with the Forest Stewardship Education Initiative, this participant's comment comes as no surprise. Participant's in the workshops are highly motivated, driven by various goals and objectives, to manage their forests or oak woodlands. UC ANR's goals are to educate forest landowners to better understand, manage and protect their forests by developing a forest management plan, implementing vegetation management projects, engaging...
- Author: Kim Ingram
You may have seen historic photos of Sierra Nevada forests with cars driving between the large trees, or heard how one could ride their horse from the woods into town with little difficulties. Those open forests with fewer trees were highly variable in structure and more resilient than forests of today. But what does that actually mean? Ryan Tompkins, Forestry and Natural Resources Advisor and Registered Professional Forester with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, explains the connection between fewer trees and a resilient forest.
Photo: USDA Forest Service
What is forest resilience? Forest resilience is a measure of...
