In the News
Fighting fire with fire benefits forests, watersheds
Research in the Illilouette Creek Basin shows that allowing fires to burn, rather than strict fire suppression, can lead to more resilient forests with smaller future fires and lessened impacts on the environment.
Ten-year Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Project finds consensus on managing CA forests
ESPM scientists and their collaborators on the SNAMP project say there is a great need for forest restoration and fire hazard reduction treatments in Sierra Nevada forests.
Save the soil to save the Earth
In an interview with Aeon.com, professor Amundson discusses how we can address the current problems with our soil – or whether we should start looking at the desolate surface of Mars as our future.
CA Matters Video: Jennifer Sowerwine on the changing face of California Agriculture
ESPM Cooperative Extension Specialist Jennifer Sowerwine appeared on New York Times columnist Mark Bittman's video series to discuss Hmong and Mien farmers in California's Central Valley.
Free Trade for Green Trade
ESPM professor Jonas Meckling on why government policy needs to catch up with the reality that domestic firms (and efforts to protect the environment) benefit from free trade in the clean energy industry.
Citizen science helps predict spread of sudden oak death
Efforts to predict the emergence and spread of sudden oak death, an infectious tree-killing disease, have gotten a big boost from the work of grassroots volunteers.
First Detailed Microscopy Evidence of Bacteria at the Lower Size Limit of Life
The existence of ultra-small bacteria has been debated for two decades, but there hasn’t been a comprehensive electron microscopy and DNA-based description of the microbes until now.
A 23-year experiment finds surprising global warming impacts already underway
At the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, the scientists have monitored ten 30-square meter plots of meadowland since 1989.
Rise in Mass Die-offs Seen Among Birds, Fish and Marine Invertebrates
An analysis of 727 mass die-offs of nearly 2,500 animal species from the past 70 years has found that such events are increasing among birds, fish and marine invertebrates.
Linking Revitalized Public Housing to Fewer ER Visits
Children living in revitalized public housing are significantly less likely to take repeated trips to the emergency room, according to a new study by researchers at UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco.
Sensing Distant Tornadoes, Birds Flew the Coop. What Tipped Them Off?
A research team led by UC Berkeley ecologist Henry Streby discovered that birds in the mountains of eastern Tennessee fled their breeding grounds one to two days ahead of the arrival of powerful supercell storms.
Can Organic Crops Compete With Industrial Agriculture?
A new study representing a collaboration across several ESPM lab groups has found that organic farming is much more productive than commonly perceived.
King Fire Puts UC Research Forest to the Test
A key University of California, Berkeley, research station is threatened by the King Fire in El Dorado County.
Study Suggests Changes in Farming Practices can Save Evolutionary Diversity
A new study by biologists at Stanford University and UC Berkeley highlights the dramatic hit on the evolutionary diversity of wildlife when forests are transformed into agricultural lands.
Biologists Try to Dig Endangered Pupfish Out of its Hole
A conservation biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, is giving important guidance in the efforts to rescue Devils Hole pupfish by establishing a captive breeding program.
Rim Fire Reprise Warning: Restoring Forests the Wrong Way May Fuel Future Fires
As the U.S. Forest Service finalizes plans to restore forests torched in last year’s Yosemite-area Rim Fire—the third largest in state history—conservationists are worried that the scheme skimps on environmental protection.
Global Wildlife Decline Driving Slave Labor, Organized Crime
Global decline of wildlife populations is driving increases in violent conflicts, organized crime and child labor around the world, according to a new policy paper led by UC Berkeley researchers.
Sudden Oak Death Drying Up With Drought
The California drought is helping save the state's signature tree - the mighty oak - by slowing down the spread of the plague-like disease scientists call sudden oak death.
Spreading the Buzz About Native Bees
In honor of National Pollinator Week, Bay Nature's Beth Slatkin recently interviewed Professor Gordon Frankie on the status of California's diverse and productive pollinators. Read an excerpt of the interview here, and check out the full article on the Bay Nature site.
Central Valley Sees Big Drop in Wintertime Fog Needed for Fruit and Nut Crops
California's winter tule fog has declined dramatically over the past three decades, raising a red flag for the state's multibillion dollar agricultural industry, according to researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.
