Big Basin State Park is not the lush, shady ancient forest it once was. In August 2020, 97 percent of the old-growth forest nestled in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains burned in the devastating CZU Lightning Complex fire. … Read more
Fire
A New Satellite Monitors Lightning Strikes and Fog to Map Weather Risks Faster
July 6, 2022 •
Nine of the 20 largest wildfires in California in the last 110 years were started by lightning strikes, including the devastating Lightning Complex fires in August 2020 that burned more than 750,000 acres in and around the Bay Area. Between … Read more
Learn to Burn
March 28, 2022 •
Scientists estimate that California needs to burn one million acres a year to prevent catastrophic wildfires. That’s more than a single agency can
manage, but if you teach one million people to burn one acre each …
The Fastest Population Growth in the West’s Wildland-Urban Interface is in Areas Most Vulnerable to Wildfires
February 9, 2022 •
New research shows that some areas of the wildland-urban interface – the land where development ends and wilderness begins – are at much higher risk of burning than others.
How to Safely Recreate on Burned Land
November 10, 2021 •
With millions of acres burned in the last two years, it’s likely you’ll pass through a burned area.
Why Are There So Many Fires, and Other Common California Wildfire Questions
September 29, 2021 •
Wildfires have become larger, more frequent, more severe, and more destructive to human life and property in many ecosystems in California in recent decades. If you’ve lived in California for a while, it might feel like this has suddenly become … Read more
Beyond the Plume of Smoke
June 23, 2021 •
“While acute smoke is bad for human and environmental health, smoke in moderation can be part of human and environmental health and well-being.”
Living with Fire
June 23, 2021 •
There’s no option to live without fire in California, and setting small, controlled fires could help keep the large, unruly ones at bay. But what would an increase in controlled burns actually look like, and how would they impact our open spaces, wildlife, air, and water?
Redwood Memory
June 23, 2021 •
Old redwood trees have seen fire many times in their lives. It’s because of their fire scars—not in spite of them—that the redwood forest thrives.
Animals Can Recover From Fire
June 23, 2021 •
New research is using motion-sensor cameras to reveal how wildlife communities survive fire and how they adapt to a burned landscape in the weeks, months, and years after a fire.