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In the West, Lightning Grows as a Cause of Damaging Fires

November 3, 2020
Wildfires in the West caused by lightning have been growing bigger and occurring more frequently. If the weather extremes already brought by climate change are any indication, other parts of the country will start paying a price, too. Wildfires have burned across much of the West in 2020, with...

Firefighters Gain Ground on Southern California Wildfires as Weather Improves

November 3, 2020
Improving weather conditions helped firefighters in Southern California gain ground overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday on a pair of wildfires that drove tens of thousands of residents from their homes and left two firefighters in critical condition. The Blue Ridge Fire, which has burned...

California’s ancient ‘asbestos’ forests no longer seem immune

November 3, 2020
Firefighters Will Christianson and Jason Vincent clear away fallen brush from around the base of the Mother of the Forest redwood as hot spots from the CZU Complex fire continue burning in Big Basin Redwoods State Park on Aug., 28, 2020. Photo by Karl Mondon, Bay Area News Group. In the...

Second Docuseries Installment Examines COVID-19’s Impact on the Food Supply Chain

October 16, 2020
Imagine pouring farm-fresh milk down the drain or crushing perfectly good eggs that could feed families. This has been the reality for farmers during the COVID-19 epidemic. The COVID-19 epidemic has not only created a medical crisis across the country, but it has greatly crippled the food...

Dry Days Ahead For California This Year And Beyond, Experts Say

October 16, 2020
Meteorologist Emily Heller says the weather lately reminds her of what Northern California saw in 2018 just before the Camp Fire set the town of Paradise ablaze. For weeks, there was no rain, excessive heat, and dry winds.  “The Camp Fire started November 8, and we hadn'...

Restoring California’s forests to reduce wildfire risks will take time, billions of dollars and a broad commitment

October 16, 2020
As California contends with its worst wildfire season in history, it’s more evident than ever that land management practices in the state’s forested mountains need major changes. Many of California’s 33 million acres of forests face widespread threats stemming from past...

High-stakes college recruitment goes virtual, and it’s no fun thanks to Zoom fatigue

October 16, 2020
In a normal year, Northern California high school senior Alain Kanadjian would be touring college campuses, attending college fairs in gyms or convention centers and meeting with college recruiters at his campus. All in person. But this is not a normal year for Kanadjian and hundreds of...

The Amazing Secret To Cutting 25% Of Carbon Could Be Under Your Feet

October 16, 2020
The world is facing a climate crisis, spurred on by record-breaking levels of atmospheric CO2 generated by the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of natural ecosystems. But what if one of the best weapons in our fight against global carbon emissions lies right beneath our feet...

With Fire Threatening, National Parks Turn to UC Merced for Help Preserving History

October 15, 2020
Ward Eldredge warily monitored the fire’s progress. As curator of the archives of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, he deliberated what would need to be done if the nearby Castle Fire continued its approach toward the parks’ headquarters. The air around Three Rivers grew thick with smoke...

Restoring State's Forests to Reduce Fire Risks Will Take Time, Money and Broad Commitment

October 13, 2020
School of Engineering professors Roger Bales and Martha Conklin have written a new article for The Conversation discussing the changes that need to be undertaken in land-management practices in California's mountain forests: "As California contends with its worst wildfire season in history, it’s...

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