Whereas systems are in place to rescue domesticated animals in the path of fire, until now wild animals have been largely left to their own devices.
When Wildlife Can’t Escape Fire
June 23, 2021 •
Fire
Finding Signs of Recovery in Santa Cruz’s Redwood Forest
June 23, 2021 •
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 the redwood forest ecology itself.
Naturalist’s Notebook: Fire Pines
June 23, 2021 •
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
April 20, 2021 •
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 seven of the deadliest wildfires have occurred since 2015. At … Read more
Now, California Waits for the Fires
March 31, 2021 •
Drought returns to California, with a long fire season ahead.
Rebuilding Big Basin
March 24, 2021 •
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
February 23, 2021 •
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 in the LNU Complex fire last fall, hoping to tease … Read more
Reading the Landscape for Fire
January 3, 2021 •
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 pyrogeographer when burning landscapes in California.
How Do Wildfires Affect Ocean Ecosystems?
January 3, 2021 •
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
December 17, 2020 •
Smoke changes as it ages, with implications for human health.