Fresno's George Whitmore, a member of the first team of climbers to scale El Capitan in Yosemite National Park and a conservationist who devoted his life to protecting the Sierra Nevada, has died. He was 89. Whitmore died on New Year’s Day from complications caused by COVID-19, said his wife,...
Is Biomass One of the Answers to California Wildfires? UC Researcher Says Yes
The mid-elevation type of forest ponderosa pine and mixed conifer used to have about 60 trees per acre in California about 150 years ago. Now, a UC Davis and USDA study says California forests 165 to 170 trees per acre — and that may be a conservative estimate. "That's about a...
California Forests 80%-600% Denser Than 150 Years Ago, UC Researcher Says Biomass Is One of the Answers
The mid-elevation type of forest ponderosa pine and mixed conifer used to have about 60 trees per acre in California about 150 years ago. Now, a UC Davis and USDA study says California forests 165 to 170 trees per acre — and that may be a conservative estimate. "That's about a...
Sierra Club: Bark Beetle, Dead Trees Don’t Fan Wildfires, Problem Is Too Much Fire Suppression
As the Creek Fire continues to ravage the Sierra, the debate about how to prevent this type of fire again leads down divergent paths. Cal Fire points to the 80%-90% tree mortality rate from bark beetle in the Creek Fire's territory as a major contributing factor. But Sierra Club California...
Creek Fire: ‘We Didn’t Used To Have These Kinds of Fires.” Logger Blames Poor Forest Management
Loggers blame politicians. Politicians blame climate change. President Donald Trump claims that California doesn't know how to manage its forests. While the finger-pointing goes on, Mother Nature doesn't care. Listen to this article: California has set a record with 2 million acres burned this year, and the Creek Fire rages...
Sierra Club Truth-Telling: Monument Removal, Calling Out Muir's Racism
LOS ANGELES — The Sierra Club is calling out its founder, naturalist John Muir, for racist remarks he made more then a century ago as the influential environmental group grapples with a harmful history that perpetuated white supremacy. Executive Director Michael Brune said Wednesday that it was “time to take...
California Wants Faster Way to Cut Wildfire Risk
SACRAMENTO — California wildland managers said Tuesday that they want to speed up logging and prescribed burns designed to slow wildfires that have devastated communities in recent years. After the deadliest and most destructive blazes in state history, officials are scrapping 12 years of efforts and starting anew on creating...