Finding Signs of Recovery in Santa Cruz’s Redwood Forest
Before the CZU Complex fires of 2020, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park had not seen fire for a hundred years. Signs of recovery in the park are as varied as...
Fire
Naturalist’s Notebook: Fire Pines
A visual explanation of how fire helps release the seeds of knobcone, bishop, and Monterey pine trees, plus a fun experiment to try at home!
The Unequal Social Consequences of Wildfire Smoke in California
Around the American West, wildfires are increasing in size and frequency. In California, the list of Top-20 records are telling: 15 of the most destructive, nine of the largest, and...
Now, California Waits for the Fires
Drought returns to California, with a long fire season ahead.
Rebuilding Big Basin
California's first State Park burned in the 2020 CZU Lightning Fires. Now conservation groups want it to rebuild as the model of state parks for the future.
LNU Fire Complex Scalds Some Berryessa-Snow Mountain National Monument Landscapes, Spares Others, Tour Reveals
The splash of green on the ashen landscape was unexpected. Marc Hoshovsky, a naturalist retired from a career with California state agencies, was reviewing a satellite photo of areas burned...
Reading the Landscape for Fire
In the beginning, fire burned the world. Don Hankins' Plains Miwok ancestors passed on this understanding of fire through generations, and he draws from it as a traditional cultural practitioner...
How Do Wildfires Affect Ocean Ecosystems?
How does wildfire ash affect the organisms in our waterways? Since plankton form the foundation of our coastal ecosystems, what happens if their equilibrium is disrupted?
Wildfire Smoke Changes Dramatically as it Ages, and That Matters for Downwind Air Quality – Here’s What We Learned Flying Through Smoke Plumes
Smoke changes as it ages, with implications for human health.
Rethinking the Wildland-Urban Interface
What does it even mean to live in a fire-risk zone now?
