Category: Conservation

Earth’s Oldest Trees in Climate-Induced Race up the Tree Line — Bristlecone pine trees in the Great Basin are losing the game of leapfrog with the limber pine

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Summary: Tree-line species are shifting in the Great Basin of the U.S. Limber pine trees are ‘leapfrogging,’ slowly, over ancient bristlecone pines upslope. If limber pine trees block bristlecones from advancing upslope, bristlecones could face local extirpations. *     *     *     *     * Bristlecone pine and limber pine trees in the Great Basin region are like…

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Combining Vegetables and Livestock in Cambodian Farming

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New research supported by the Horticulture Innovation Lab at UC Davis aims to help farmers in Cambodia better integrate growing vegetables, raising livestock and maintaining healthy soil — all in the same place. “By understanding the interactions between horticulture and livestock systems, we can help farmers make better use of agricultural inputs such as fertilizer…

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How Much Water Do Landscape Plants Need?

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To meet California’s mandatory landscape ordinances for water conservation, Loren Oki, Karrie Reid, and Jared Sisneroz are conducting UC Landscape Plant Irrigation Trials to determine water needs for landscape plants. The goal is to develop water conservation landscapes in three locations and study their long-term performance. Regulations for landscape water use California’s Model Water Efficiency…

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Water Conservation: The New ‘Normal’ – Drought Irrigation Strategies

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Since water conservation will be an ongoing practice in California, University of California scientists are continually developing practical information for agriculture, rangelands, urban landscapes, and animal production. This series of publications was produced by UC experts throughout California. Published by UC ANR, authors include professors and Cooperative Extension specialists in the Dept. of Plant Sciences…

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Carbon Reduction, the Unrealistic Paris Agreement, and Alternatives for California

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Climate scientists from three countries have determined that the carbon reduction goals set at the Paris Agreement in 2015 are not feasible. Regardless of whether the U.S. remains part of the Paris climate accord, scientists at the University of California, Davis, are developing additional agricultural methods to offset increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases, thereby reducing…

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Rustici Rangeland Science Symposium

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Faculty, students, researchers, educators, and professional organizations are invited to submit posters for the fourth Rustici Rangeland Science Symposium, March 23-24, 2017. The poster submission deadline is Friday, March 17. Symposium highlights are available at http://rangelands.ucdavis.edu/rustici/rangeland-symposium/ The broad focus for the combined mixer and poster session includes any activities related to sustainable rangeland research, management,…

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Faculty Profile: Leslie Roche

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Sustaining California’s Rangelands Leslie Roche, a new faculty member in the Department of Plant Sciences, is a Cooperative Extension specialist in rangeland management. She also has statewide responsibilities with Cooperative Extension in the UC systemwide Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The overarching theme of her program is looking at rangelands as working landscapes to…

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Managed Grazing Helps Forests, Say Ken Tate, Leslie Roche, and Others

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With California wildfires becoming more frequent and intense, ranchers and other natural resources experts say public policy on livestock grazing as a potential tool to manage fuel and vegetation needs to be reevaluated to allow more flexibility. Despite mounting research that shows well-managed grazing could help reduce wildfire risk and severity, livestock stocking rates on…

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