Forestry Content

Finding that Ripe Cone Sweet Spot: Looking Back to Help the Future

Katherine E Kerlin — January 21, 2026 - 10:15am

California’s wildfire seasons are becoming more intense, and the state’s public bank of seeds to help replant and reforest lands after blazes is understocked by thousands of pounds.

A new research project out of University of California, Davis, aims to help solve that problem by using decades of data from historical cone collection records to model when cones in coniferous trees from wild stands will ripen.

Lessons from the Caldor Fire’s Christmas Valley ‘Miracle’

Katherine E Kerlin — December 19, 2025 - 9:00am

The Lake Tahoe communities of Christmas Valley and Meyers were spared during 2021's Caldor Fire. A �鶹��ý study reveals which pre-fire fuel treatments worked best to bring about the Christmas Valley "miracle."

An Extreme Tree Hunt in the Sierra Nevada

Katherine E Kerlin — November 10, 2025 - 9:00am

Across 24 peaks and 240 miles through the Sierra Nevada, a �鶹��ý team searches for high-altitude Jeffrey pines to learn how climate change is reshaping forests.

A New Record for California’s Highest Tree

Katherine E Kerlin — April 17, 2025 - 9:00am

A �鶹��ý professor's pleasure hike in the High Sierra turned into a new elevation record for California's highest tree, the Jeffrey pine, which wasn't formerly known to grow at extreme elevations.

Burning Question: How to Save an Old-Growth Forest in Tahoe

Katherine E Kerlin — March 03, 2025 - 9:02am

On the shores of Lake Tahoe at Emerald Bay State Park grows what some consider to be the most iconic old-growth forest in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Giant ponderosa pines — some of the last remaining in the area — share space with at least 13 other tree species.

Shrubs Can Help or Hinder a Forest’s Recovery After Wildfire

Katherine E Kerlin — December 16, 2024 - 10:12am

When and where to plant tree seedlings restore forests after wildfires has a lot to do with shrubs, finds a �鶹��ý study.

Reforms Needed to Expand Prescribed Burns

Katherine E Kerlin — November 15, 2023 - 9:15am

A �鶹��ý paper pinpoints obstacles and suggests strategies for getting more prescribed fire on the ground in the wildfire-prone U.S. West.

Using AI to Analyze Wildfire Impacts

Katherine E Kerlin — March 29, 2023 - 11:40am

A new �鶹��ý project applies artificial intelligence to analyze wildfire impacts on natural ecosystems.

Fungi that Causes Pine Ghost Canker Detected in S. California Trees

Katherine E Kerlin — February 23, 2023 - 7:54am

Fungal pathogens that cause pine ghost canker are infecting conifer trees in urban forests of Southern California, �鶹��ý scientists found.

Unprecedented Levels of High-Severity Fire Burn in Sierra Nevada Forests

Katherine E Kerlin — January 20, 2023 - 9:45am

High-severity wildfire is occurring at unprecedented rates in Sierra Nevada forests compared to before 1850, finds �鶹��ý study.