How the DNA We Leave Behind Can Help Conservation
Bits of DNA linger on the forest floor, in the ocean, and even in the air—and these strands have stories to tell, back at the lab. Here's how environmental DNA...
Fire
A Santa Cruz Forest Reborn, After a Century Off-Limits
San Vicente Redwoods in Santa Cruz. Trail: 4.4 mi, 442 ft elevation gain, loop
The Nearly Unkillable Eucalyptus Meets Its Match
Eucalyptus trees on Albany Hill are wasting away from blight. Some people may cheer—but these trees are also home to endangered monarchs.
Logjam: The Supply Chain Problem That’s Keeping California From Preventing Catastrophic Wildfires on Private Land
Private landowners in California hold a huge amount of forest that's primed to burn.
In Bay of Life, an Internationally Renowned Media Duo Look to Their Monterey Backyard
With Bay of Life, Frans Lanting and Christine Eckstrom wanted to go past Monterey Bay's natural beauty to explore its past, present and possible futures.
A Case for Retreat in the Age of Fire as Dozens of Wildfires Threaten Homes in the West
As fire risk rises, is it time to consider managed retreat? Three environmental design and sustainability experts explore the options.
In the Wake of Wildfire, Big Basin Redwoods State Park Partially Reopens to the Public
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...
A New Satellite Monitors Lightning Strikes and Fog to Map Weather Risks Faster
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...
Learn to Burn
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...
The Fastest Population Growth in the West’s Wildland-Urban Interface is in Areas Most Vulnerable to Wildfires
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.
