In November, the Pacific Southwest Research Station partnered with the San Bernardino National Forest to host a Congressional visit with staffers from across both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Members from the offices of Sen. Butler, Rep. Chu, Rep. Obernolte, and Rep. Aguilar attended the session to hear more about the questions the research station is working to solve. 

Research scientists José Sánchez, David Weise, and Francisco Escobedo from the Riverside office presented on a range of topics including Recreation Displacement, Ladder Fuel Ignitions, and The Impact of Wildfire on the Changing Demographics in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). Together, the staffers spent some time learning more about the Research and Development arm of the Forest Service, the Wildfire Crisis Strategy, and the research being worked on out of the Riverside office. For the afternoon, José and Francisco led staffers on a field trip to a Lytle Creek recreation site just inside of the San Bernardino National Forest, and a WUI area previously burned by the Old Fire in 2003, overlooking the Inland Empire.

More photos from the trip:

In November, Dr. Angela White and Dr. Alyssa Thomas from the Pacific Southwest Research Station partnered with the Mendocino National Forest, the California Climate Hub, and Forest Service Region 5 staff to put on a series of public engagement sessions. These sessions were aimed at communities which were adversely impacted by the 2018 Ranch Fire and 2020 August Complex Fire which burned portions of the Mendocino, Six Rivers, and Shasta-Trinity National Forests. These public engagement sessions were designed in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Research Station and the Pacific Northwest Research Station. Using interactive activities, these sessions help gather information from local communities about their perceptions on management activities in the region.

Partners and participants at the engagement sessions

Every two years forestry staff from the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands gather for professional development and to share their experiences, best practices, and needs. The Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service Region 5, and Western Forestry Leadership Coalition partner with foresters from Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, American Samoa, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands to host and plan the gathering. 

This year, the weeklong workshop was held in Hilo, Hawaiʻi from December 4th – 8th and featured a number of presentations from Forest Service staff based out of the PSW Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Discussion topics included forest products and markets; monitoring; climate, invasive species, and wildland fire; building capacity; and telling the stories of foresters’ work. Attendees also enjoyed field trips to a “hybrid ecosystems” study site and Lava Trees State Monument. Through this important gathering of forest stewards, they and their partners, including the Pacific Southwest Research Station and Forest Service Region 5, are better equipped to address forestry needs and challenges on Pacific islands.

Attendees pose at fields trips to Lava Tree State Monument (left) and to the Liko Nā Pilina hybrid ecosystem study site (right) in Keaukaha Military Reservation, Hilo, HI. U.S. Photo Service Photos by Melissa Kunz.

Photo Credit

U.S. Forest Service photo by Preston Keres

Jim Kaufmann, Director of Capitol Grounds and Arboretum at the Architect of the Capitol, reviews a potential tree candidate on a recent visit to the Monongahela National Forest to select the 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. 

As the year comes to a close, the U.S. Forest Service often fulfills a unique role in the nation. Every year since 1970, a tree is selected from one of the nation’s many national forests, and is dubbed “The People's Tree,” otherwise known as the Capitol Christmas Tree. The tree, this year coming from the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia, is displayed at the Capitol building in Washington, DC, where the Speaker of the House hosts the lighting ceremony. The candidate trees must meet certain criteria. Typically, they are spruce or fir trees, a minimum of 60-65 feet in height, are relatively close to a roadway, helping to minimize damage to the tree and its surroundings, and must meet certain aesthetic criteria (color, shape, and density). The tree, along with several smaller companion trees, then travels to the nation’s capital, where it will be decorated with lights and thousands of ornaments donated by children. In early January, the tree will come down and be recycled for musical instruments.

So now that we know a little bit about tree, you may be wondering what role the Forest Service in the Pacific Southwest Region has played in holiday traditions in years prior. The Capitol Christmas Tree has come from California national forests a total of five times (tied with Michigan for the most of any state), with the most recent being from the Six Rivers National Forest in 2021. In 2022, the Pacific Southwest Research Station’s Institute of Forest Genetics donated a white fir tree for the California State Capitol Tree Lighting Ceremony. Many national forests in California also offer tree and/or firewood permits, where members of the public can take home their own tree or firewood for the winter season. These permits help support local national forests, with firewood coming from the removal of dead and downed trees. Tree cuttings are permitted in areas where thinning supports the growth and sustainability of healthier trees. Be sure to apply for a permit and check with your local ranger district before collecting resources from a national forest.

Webinars & Events

Applications of the Lost Meadow Model for Management

Dr. Karen Pope and Adam Cummings               
USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station               
December 13, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. PST               
 

Meadows play important cultural, ecological, and hydrological roles for human and non-human communities. As fire occurrence increases and high elevations warm, restoring and protecting meadows can support fire management, water supply, and rare species. The Lost Meadow Model has multiple management applications for Tribal lands and national forests, including planning post-fire treatments, promoting desirable plant communities, and improving water storage.

This webinar will cover:

• The role and importance of montane meadows
• A machine learning model that identifies potential “lost meadows” which can support meadow restoration
• Demo: How to access and use the maps generated by the model

Webinar Sign Up

California Land and Fire Management Needs Assessment

To gain an updated understanding of needs around knowledge exchange, information sources, and scientific research, the California Fire Science Consortium (CFSC) is leading a survey and inviting you to participate. All are welcome, from those working in fire as well as those in non-fire roles to complete the survey to help inform science delivery and regional knowledge exchange within California. Please share the survey link with others.

The survey should take ~15 minutes to complete. It will be open until January 1, 2024.

Take the survey

SCIENCEx Experimental Forest Week

In case you missed it: November 13 - 17th was SCIENCEx Experimental Forest week. Researchers from across Forest Service talked about work happening in our experimental forests pertaining to silviculture, hydrology, wildlife, fire, and a future prospective. The recording for this webinar and previous ones can be found at the link below. SCIENCEx will resume in January 2024.

SCIENCEx Webinar Archive

Station News

Pacific Southwest Research Station’s Experimental Forests are Keys to Innovation

Experimental Forests are unknown to many, enshrouding them with a sense of mystery. The Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) has 12 experimental forests and one watershed scattered throughout California, and a tropical forest in Hawaiʻi. Set aside specifically for research, some date back to the agency’s birth.

Read More

External Media

Has California addressed the failures that led to the deadly Camp fire five years ago?

PSW Researcher(s): Eric Knapp

Read more at: LA Times (External Link)

Going to the source: Can meadow restoration beef up California’s water supplies and reduce flooding?

PSW Researcher(s): Karen Pope

Read more at: SJV Water (External Link)

Heat waves strike rivers too—can prescribed burns and beavers cool streams for salmon?

PSW Researcher(s): Frank Lake

Read more at: Maven's Notebook (External Link)

More PSW News

Publication Highlights

More PSW Publications via Treesearch

Pacific Southwest Research Station

The Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) was founded in 1926 as a part of the Research and Development branch of U.S. Forest Service. Since its inception, PSW has expanded to serve California, Hawai'i, and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands. PSW develops and delivers science-based information, technologies, and applications to help people make informed decisions about natural resource management, conservation, and environmental protection.

Fact and Trivia Corner             
How tall was the tallest ever Capitol Christmas Tree?

Only a handful of Capitol Christmas trees have surpassed the 80-foot mark, after all the tree must be able to fit within a trailer to be hauled from its home forest to Washington, DC. The tallest tree is actually a tie, in 2013 and 2014, 88 foot spruce trees were supplied for The People's Tree. The tallest tree out of the Pacific Southwest Region isn't far behind, standing at 84 feet in 2021. You can read more about finding this year's tree.