Posts Tagged: wildfire

Scientists want forests with vim and vigor

An array of scientists are working together to help the U.S. Forest Service determine the best way to ensure the long-term health of California forests. One aspect of the wide-ranging effort - called the Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Project or SNAMP - is to define a healthy forest. UC Berkeley scientist John Battles is leading a group of researchers who have been extracting core samples from thousands of trees in the Sugar Pine and Nelder Gove areas over the past two years to analyze their health.

A recent public field trip in the experimental area was covered by Sierra Star reporter Jill Coppler. Her article said people are continuing to buy and build homes in the beautiful mountain area. The population is projected to triple by 2040, amplifying the importance of effective fire management.

"This is very much a learning enterprise," Battles was quoted in the story. "We don't have all the answers locked in an ivory tower and we don't rely on a strategy of hope or hoped-for outcomes.

"We're here to analyze what happens to a sweep of elements because we know you can't push on one and have the others not effected."

forest

California forests have 'cruel beauty'

With the beginning of the summer fire season looming, media are taking note of UC wildfire management expertise.

The High County News published an article last week about preparations in California for "the next burn." Writer Peter Friederici based his story on a new CalFire map that places Portola Valley in a "very high" fire hazard zone. Residents are concerned the designation will cause insurance companies to cancel their coverage or raise rates and that it could also devalue their property.

The concerns seemed to garner little sympathy from Peter Moraga, speaking for an insurance industry group.

"Those people who aren't in the high fire areas shouldn't be subsidizing those in the high-risk areas," he was quoted in the story. "If you choose to live in a higher-risk area, you should be prepared to pay higher rates."

Breathtaking views, fresh mountain air and proximity to natural areas with lush vegetation outweigh the hazards -- until a fire strikes, Friederici wrote. "Many of these places are beautiful," he quoted Moraga, "but it's a cruel beauty."

For the story, the reporter discussed the idea of homeowners staying and defending their property - instead of evacuating when a fire approaches - with the director of the UC Berkeley Fire Center Max Moritz.

He noted that the full name of the philosophy is "Prepare, stay and defend, or leave early." The key, Moritz told the reporter, is making a property as fire-safe as possible, and then deciding early whether to stay or go.

Early-season Santa Barbara fire unexpected

UC Berkeley Cooperative Extension fire ecology specialist Max Moritz told a Bloomberg.com reporter that the wildfire raging in Santa Barbara County caught forest experts by surprise.

“It is very early, the plants still appear to be quite full of moisture, and when you look at the ferocity of this wind condition, that’s when you say it is surprising,” he was quoted in the story.

Moritz said overzealous fire suppression cannot be blamed for the devastating inferno that has already burned 75 homes and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.

“There isn’t any such thing as a low-severity fire in the shrub lands,” Moritz said. “The hot, dry wind event has opened the door to what looks like a catastrophe.”

UC studies the use of compost to restore burned areas

Scientists at UC Riverside will apply compost to wildfire-ravaged land after the flames have been doused to determine whether it helps reduce erosion and water pollution and restore vegetation. The project is one of several to be undertaken with funding from the California Integrated Waste Management Board aimed at finding uses for what is expected to be an abundance of compost made from organic waste diverted from landfills, according to a story in the April issue of BioCycle.

The Waste Management Board plans to cut the amount of organic materials now going to landfills by half in the next 10 years. Meeting that goal will require an additional 15 million tons of organic materials to be recycled annually.

The Riverside scientists will quantify the benefits of compost on fire-damaged land by absorbing water, thus reducing surface flow, and by dissipating the energy of rainfall. The study will also attempt to quantify the ability of compost to promote the growth of micro and mesofauna (microbes, worms, insect larvae) in the fire-damaged soil, the BioCycle story says.

Another UC Riverside study funded by the Waste Management Board is focused on using the compost in strawberry, lettuce and tomato production.

Developing crop-specific compost specifications helps farmers avoid using mismatched or poor quality composts, which could result in lower crop yields, according to the article.

Max Moritz speaks to KQED about fire and climate change

The Bay Area National Public Radio affiliate KQED posted "reporter's notes" on the Quest portion of its Web site yesterday featuring comments from UC Berkeley fire ecology specialist Max Moritz about recently published research that predicts changes in world wildfire patterns due to climate change. Quest is a KQED multimedia series exploring Northern California science, environment and nature.

In the written notes, reporter Craig Miller explained that Moritz and a team of researchers found that climate change won't cause a rise in wildfire everywhere in the world.

In audio interview excerpts, Moritz himself says that different climatic variables -- such as precipitation patterns and temperatures -- around the world mean climate change will have different effects on wildfire patterns. Most places, including California, will see increases in wildfire activity; other areas, like the Pacific Northwest, may see fewer, less intense fires. 

"(The fact) that just in the next couple of decades we’re going to see very extensive and rapid shifts in fire activity, I think that’s a bit of a surprise," Moritz said.

Max Moritz

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