Valachovic, UC Cooperative Extension advisor, visited neighborhoods affected by Palisades and Eaton Fires This essay was written by Yana Valachovic, a member of UC ANR's Fire Network with a specialty in community resilience and the built environment. She is the county director and forest advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. Many houses still stand among the blocks of fire-ravaged neighborhoods of both the Palisades and Eaton Fire ..read more

UC experts offer tips on testing drinking water, rehabilitating gardens As residents start to clean up after the Los Angeles County wildfires, the aftermath will continue to impact water and natural resources in and beyond the fire areas, according to water experts at University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Urban wildfires have grown more frequent and intense in the past decade. Record dryness and high winds created conditions capable of enormous heat and destruction; in ..read more

Light rain is expected to dampen Southern California this weekend, easing fire conditions but also raising landslide risks in burn areas. It won't end local fire risk. The drizzle is “enough to tamp down but not end fire season,” says Daniel Swain, UC ANR climate scientist. Join Swain for a live briefing this afternoon with updates on new fires in greater Los Angeles, the rain and snow to come, and the fire outlook in February: YouTube Office Hours with Daniel Swain Friday ..read more

California water-rights holders are required by state law to measure and report the water they divert from surface streams. For people who wish to take the water measurements themselves, the University of California Cooperative Extension is offering in-person training to receive certification on Jan. 30 in Davis. At the workshop, participants can expect to clarify reporting requirements for ranches. understand what meters are appropriate for different situations. learn how to determine ..read more

New research links intensifying wet and dry swings to the atmosphere's sponge-like ability to drop and absorb water Key takeaways Hydroclimate whiplash – rapid swings between intensely wet and dangerously dry weather – has already increased globally due to climate change, with further large increases expected as warming continues, according to a team of researchers led by UCLA's Daniel Swain. The “expanding atmospheric sponge,” or the atmosphere's ability ..read more

Priorities include removing objects within five feet of a house, upgrading vents Wildfire losses cost taxpayers and communities hundreds of billions of dollars each year, and preparing communities before a disaster occurs is the best way to avoid damage to homes and neighborhoods. Retrofitting existing homes can make communities safer while avoiding billions in disaster costs. As Californians learn to live with wildfire, scientists encourage improving the structure and design of houses and ..read more

Farmers placed clumps of soil into metal mesh baskets, submerged the baskets into jars of water, then watched to see if their soil held together. The slake test, conducted at the Soil Health Field Day in Woodland, measured soil health. Healthier soil, which contains more organic matter and bioactivity and can better support plant growth, stays intact. “Participants said that it was particularly useful to see the slake test on a variety of soils to better understand the nuance of how ..read more

Roche team lands $1 million to help ranchers stay strong California ranchers benefit when they plan ahead for extreme weather variability, according to rancher surveys and interviews conducted by a team headed by Leslie Roche, a professor of Cooperative Extension in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences. But while wise planning and climate-smart adaptations helped ranchers survive the state's record-breaking 2012-2016 drought, those strategies by themselves were not enough, ranchers ..read more

Findings offer solution for more climate-friendly cattle farming Seaweed is once again showing promise for making cattle farming more sustainable. A new study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that feeding grazing beef cattle a seaweed supplement in pellet form reduced their methane emissions by almost 40% without affecting their health or weight. The study was published Dec. 2 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This is the first study to test ..read more

Fire has been part of indigenous stewardship in California since time immemorial. These fire practices were deeply connected to cultural traditions, food ways, and enhanced the resilience of landscapes. Using fire for research and land management at the UC ANR Hopland Research and Extension Center (HREC) dates back to the early 1950s and fire was used as an effective tool for maintaining the health of the landscape for many years. However, the regulations and paperwork permitting controlled ..read more