The university of california division of agriculture and natural resources (UC ANR) uses mcintire- stennis funds for forestry research toward the goal of sustainable forest management and to train…

The university of california division of agriculture and natural resources (UC ANR) uses mcintire- stennis funds for forestry research toward the goal of sustainable forest management and to train future forestry scientists skilled in advancing this multidisciplinary research. UC ANR has a long tradition of excellence in research, extension, and teaching in forestry, conducting mcintire-stennis funded research on forest lands since the funding opportunity began. UC ANR researchers assemble multidisciplinary teams to conduct forestry research, outreach and public education activities, and policy analysis on issues affecting forest lands across the state, country, and world. These projects train undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral scientists, reaching a target audience that includes forestry scientists, land managers and owners, state and national policymakers, management agencies, academics and university administrators, and environmental nonprofit and government partners, among others. Below UC ANR's mcintire-stennis projects are briefly described, organized by broad research area. Management of forest fires one research project aims to improve our understanding of how to restore fire to the sierran conifer forests of california. Returning and maintaining disturbance processes that mimic the role of fire in the landscape are essential to the welfare of the forests and the communities that depend on them. The project will build on long-term field experiments to quantify the trade-offs associated with three restoration approaches: prescribed fire, mechanical fuel treatments, and managed fire. All three strategies have the potential to limit future wildfire hazard and improve forest RE silience. However, in the sierra nevada, there is limited empirical information regarding the challenges associated with a restored fire regime. The research will be conducted at two forests with divergent practical and legal constraints on management: a working forest (blodgett forest experiment station) and a national park (yosemite national park). Thus, the results, as well as the lessons learned about implementation, are broadly relevant to the practice of forestry. A new research project aims to better understand synergistic effects of fire and tree diseases in coastal california forest ecosystems; explore management options that can serve to enhance conservation of forested natural resources; and help train future generations of forest ecologists, pathologists, and land managers. This project uses a suite of emergent technologies to develop a modern, mechanistic understanding of how non-lethal fire damage interacts with wood decay fungi. Research-based training will be provided for forest managers and arborists on tree-health technologies in the california fire context. Exploratory work will examine the safety and feasibility of using decay fungi as management tools. Ongoing training for student interns in forest ecology research will be expanded to include more forest management and pathology to help prepare students to enter an important regional workforce. Management and sustainability of forest and range resources rangelands cover close to 50% of the state of california. A research project is working to determine the impact of specific management approaches on ecosystem processes in california rangelands, which play an important role in the state's agricultural economy, as well as support the national and international food system. California's rangelands are also important natural resources from an ecological perspective.