2025 FFERAL Lecture Series
The "Forest and Fire Ecology Random Lectures" aka FFERAL are hosted by the California Fire Science Consortium.
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Lecture
Oak woodlands and riparian forests are among the rarest California ecosystems. They support considerable biodiversity and provide many additional benefits which can be enhanced through frequent fire. Indigenous peoples recognize these outcomes, and their stewardship practices illustrate opportunities to achieve ecosystem resilience as illustrated through applied fire studies in these systems.
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Lecture
Area burned by wildfires has substantially increased in recent decades in western US forests. Over this time period (mid-1980’s –present), western US forests have experienced individual years with exceptionally high area burned, leading some to conclude that recent years are ‘unprecedented’.
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Lecture
Wildfires are a major driver of biodiversity patterns globally. In many ecosystems of North America, fires are becoming increasingly frequent and/or severe due to a combination of past land management practices and climate change. These shifts are likely to impact plant and animal populations and communities in complex and perhaps surprising ways.
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Lecture
Following an unprecedented period of fire exclusion in many western North American forests, wildfires are not only returning but also increasing in their area burned and severity. These trends are expected to intensify under climate change. However, recent research on reburned landscapes reveals strong negative feedbacks on future fire severity through the process of burning and returning landscapes.