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Good fire is back at the Hopland Research and Extension Center
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 burns became increasingly restrictive after the catastrophic wildfires of 2017.
Thanks to three years of perseverance by John Bailey, HREC director, and with help from trained UC ANR advisors and staff, we were able to execute a research burn once again, instead of relying on the more restrictive CalFire Vegetation Management Plan process. By carefully reintroducing fire, a tool essential for rangeland and oak woodland stewardship, we want to be able to use good fire for research and to recover biodiversity and make the landscape more climate resilient.
On Nov. 8, 2024, HREC successfully conducted a prescribed burn as part of ongoing research to advance the restoration of a unique perennial wetland. This prescribed burn is part of a larger initiative to enhance native biodiversity and control invasive species. Fire was used as a natural disturbance to open up the dense Tule stands surrounding the pond to create a habitat mosaic with a diversity of plant species and habitat structure for native frogs and other pond life.
The burn was led by UCANR staff and academics, including Jeff Stackhouse, UC Cooperative Extension natural resource advisor, and Mike Jones, UCCE forestry advisor, whose leadership ensured its successful execution. We also had significant community participation from members of theHopland Band ofPomo Indians, including their Environmental Protection Agency director, as well as Grizzly Corps members, researchers and volunteers.
This event provided an opportunity for the diverse group to learn about controlled burns, engage in fire safety education, and explore how such practices contribute to ecological resilience. By involving community members in the process, the event not only restored habitat but also fostered a deeper understanding of fire's role in ecosystem health and stewardship.
HREC plans to work with UC ANR leadership and the UC ANR Fire Network to establish clear policies for conducting regular burns for research, stewardship and extension. Additionally, HREC will continue partnering with CalFire, leveraging their capacity for larger-scale projects, ensuring a variety of pathways are available for safely conducting prescribed fire and to strengthen the UC-CalFire relationship for better land stewardship outcomes statewide.
MSU Soil Scientist to Discuss Nematodes as "Bioindicators of Soil Health and Climate Resiliency'
Nematodes, says soil scientist Christine Sprunger of Michigan State University, East Lansing, are "bioindicators of soil health and climate resiliency." And that's the title--"Nematodes as Bioindicators of Soil Health and Climate Resiliency"--of her seminar that she will present to...
Soil scientist Christine Sprunger (left) and lab manager of the W. K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS), Michigan State University, collecting soil samples. (Photo courtesy of KBS)
2025 UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day Set Saturday, Feb. 8
Mark your calendar! The 14th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day is set for Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. announced coordinator and co-founder Tabatha Yang, the public education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Biodiversity Museum Day. billed as a "Super...
UC Davis professor Jason Bond, director of the Bohart Museum, shows butterfly specimens to Woodland residents Olive Smith, 8, and her mother Sarah Smith. Bond is the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The nematology display, headed by associate professor Shahid Siddique, was a popular attraction at the 13th annual Biodiversity Museum Day, held Feb. 20, 2024. From left are doctoral student Nick Latina and doctoral candidates Pallavi Shakya an Alison Blundell. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
From Butterfly Research to High-Sugar Diet Research
What does butterfly metamorphosis have to do with high-sugar diet research? Well, you never know where research will take you. UC Davis distinguished professor Bruce Hammock, who holds a joint appointment with the Department of Entomology and Nematology and the UC Davis Comprehensive...
UC Davis distinguished professor Bruce Hammock (seated) with Jun-Yan Liu, professor at Chongqing Medical University, China, and a former research scientist (7.5 years) in the Hammock lab.
This 2010 image of Jun-Yan Liu shows him as a postdoctoral fellow working in the Bruce Hammock lab. He is now a professor at Chongqing Medical University, China. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This archived image (2018) shows UC Davis distinguished professor Bruce Hammock (seated) with Hammock lab researcher Sung Hee Hwang (center) and former Hammock lab researcher Guodong Zhang, now on the UC Davis Department of Nutrition faculty. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
It's Friday Fly Day!
It's Friday Fly Day and what an appropriate day to honor a syrphid fly. This syrphid, caught in flight, was seeking nectar from a Gaura, a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. Syrphid flies, also known as flower flies or hover flies, belong...
A syrphid fly heads for a Gaura in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The syrphid fly (above image) resembles this wasp. Here a yellowjacket and a honey bee share a rose in a UC Davis garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
