Forestry Content

Egghead Weekend Basket for April 24

Andy Fell — April 24, 2026 - 12:22pm

This week's round up of research ranges from plant clones to wildfires with a detour into helping families in poverty. Also, geese.

Propagating plants without mutations

A cool thing about plants is that you can generally grown an entire new copy of a plant from any small piece of it. People have been doing this for centuries by growing plants from cuttings.

Wildfire-Driven Deforestation Rates in California Among Highest in World

Katherine E Kerlin — April 22, 2026 - 9:00am

California has one of the highest rates of wildfire-driven deforestation in the world, and the trend has accelerated over the past three decades, according to a UC Davis study.

Unlocking Longevity Insights From Ancient Bristlecone Pine

Katherine E Kerlin — March 23, 2026 - 9:00am

Scientists have sequenced the bristlecone pine genome, which could help unlock the secrets of this tree's exceptionally long life.

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 UC Davis 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 UC Davis 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 UC Davis 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 UC Davis study.

Reforms Needed to Expand Prescribed Burns

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

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