Easing Prescribed Fire Liability Laws Increases its Use as a Management Tool: Research Brief

Easing Prescribed Fire Liability Laws Increases its Use as a Management Tool: Research Brief

A comparison study of different liability lows shows how gross negligence coupled with some key additional regulations would likely result in prescribed fire being more available to managers while also providing safety assurance to the public.

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40 Years of Wildfires Alter a Sierra Nevada Watershed: Research Synthesis

40 Years of Wildfires Alter a Sierra Nevada Watershed: Research Synthesis

This synthesis summarizes the findings from four different research articles which explore different aspects of how the fire history of the Illilouette Creek Basin in Yosemite National Park has affected its water resources.

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Prescribed burning in young stands: Research Synthesis

Prescribed burning in young stands: Research Synthesis

This synthesis draws recommendations from four studies that are relevant to prescribed burning as a fuels reduction method in young stands. Most studies also looked at potential effects of mastication as a fuels treatment in comparison to prescribed burning.

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Wildfire Following Severe Tree Mortality in Frequent Fire Forests: A Research Summary and Call for Proactive Management : Research Brief

Wildfire Following Severe Tree Mortality in Frequent Fire Forests: A Research Summary and Call for Proactive Management : Research Brief

This Overview Article summarizes research relevant to understanding short- and longer-term effects of massive tree mortality in what were historically frequent fire forests of California, presents results on fire severity from a recent wildfire that burned through severe tree mortality, and makes management recommendations for reducing future tree mortality and increasing forest resilience and adaptation to climate change.

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Social Fragmentation and wildfire management: Exploring the scale of adaptive action: Research Brief

Social Fragmentation and wildfire management: Exploring the scale of adaptive action: Research Brief

The authors of this paper looked to address ways that diverse human populations and local social dynamics can hinder or promote the scales at which fire adapted communities can be established.

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Lightning-ignitions and Santa Ana Wind-Driven Fires: Research Brief

Lightning-ignitions and Santa Ana Wind-Driven Fires: Research Brief

This paper explores whether human or natural ignition (lightning) sources are linked to wildfire occurrence during Santa Ana wind events. While lightning ignitions during Santa Ana conditions have been rare in the past, predictions under anthropogenic climate change project drier fuels during the winter months when lightning and Santa Ana winds are more likely to occur simultaneously, increasing the future potential for devastating wildfires.

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Facilitating Natural Recruitment for Desert Revegetation: Research Brief

Facilitating Natural Recruitment for Desert Revegetation: Research Brief

Assisted natural regeneration (ANR) is an alternative aimed at encouraging site conditions favorable for natural regeneration through actions such as alleviating limitations on viable seed production, germination, and seedling survival. Two ANR approaches were tested on the Mojave Desert foundation species, the creosote bush.

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Focusing on Structure Details to Help Homes Survive Wildfire: Research Brief

Focusing on Structure Details to Help Homes Survive Wildfire: Research Brief

Hardening homes was strongly correlated with structure survival in the Wildland Urban Interface. The best ways to “harden homes” are to: enclose eaves and use multiple pane windows; use fire-resistant exterior siding, composite deck materials, and fine-mesh vent screens.

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Long-Term Change in Mojave Desert Vegetation during 37 Years of Climatic and Land-Use Dynamics: Research Brief

Long-Term Change in Mojave Desert Vegetation during 37 Years of Climatic and Land-Use Dynamics: Research Brief

A recent study in press with Ecological Monographs collected and analyzed a long-term data set of fluctuations in perennial plant communities in the eastern Mojave Desert. During the 37-year period, most measures of the native perennial plant community changed temporally.

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Prioritizing planting effort and heterogeneity in reforestation: Research Brief

Prioritizing planting effort and heterogeneity in reforestation: Research Brief

In light of climatic trends, historic fire suppression, increasing incidence of large wildfires, and shrinking budgets, the authors propose a planting strategy that prioritizes accessibility, while reducing efforts within the dispersal range of seed trees and in areas with a high cost to probability-of-success ratio.

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