Department of Environmental Science and Policy

Prescribed Burns Saved Thousands of Giant Sequoias

When two major wildfires burned through the Sierra Nevada in 2020 and 2021, they took thousands of giant sequoia trees with them. Without prescribed burns, thousands more would have died, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis. 

Study Projects Plant Extinction Rates Through 2100

No matter how fast a species under threat can move, escape can only be successful if the new destination can meet its needs.

An ecological modeling study from the University of California, Davis, found that 7% to 16% of global plant species studied are expected to lose more than 90% of their range, facing high risk of extinction by 2100 under current climate change projections.