In sagebrush ecosystems, wildfire is increasing in frequency and extent with the expansion of invasive grasses and adversely affecting greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations. Although post-fire restoration of sagebrush is important and often necessary for conservation of sensitive species, it is often expensive with variable levels of success. Hence, evaluating trade-offs between retroactive (restoration) versus proactive (prevention/suppression) management strategies can be highly informative to sage-grouse conservation. We simulated management scenarios of post-fire sagebrush recovery with active seeding and outplanting and compared spatially explicit outputs with scenarios of simulated wildfire reduction using wildfire history data from 1984 to 2015. We found that 75% suppression of randomly selected wildfires resulted in the lowest cumulative burned area and negated adverse impacts to sage-grouse populations. Furthermore, targeted suppression near leks and sage-grouse conservation areas effectively reduced the number of wildfires requiring operational intervention by an average of 65.37% and 78.82%, respectively. Therefore, actively reducing wildfire size and frequency through prevention and suppression within sagebrush ecosystems is likely far more effective per unit effort than relying on post-fire restoration activities alone while proactively conserving sage-grouse habitat. These findings are preliminary, provided for timely science communication, and subject to change.

California’s wildfire crisis is worsening. Streamlining CEQA to expedite ecosystem restoration and wildfire resilience projects is a critical need and a clear policy priority of Governor Newsom’s administration. California’s Forest Carbon Plan and Shared Stewardship Agreement call for federal and state agencies to each meet a goal of treating 500,000 acres annually by 2025. How can CEQA compliance for critical wildfire resilience treatment projects be accelerated? Program EIRs are a highly effective tool in streamlining CEQA review of qualifying projects while maintaining environmental protection. The Program EIR for the California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP) was certified by the Board of Forestry in December 2019. The Program EIR is designed for use by any public agency providing or receiving state funding or with land ownership and/or management responsibilities in the treatable landscape that seeks to implement vegetation treatments consistent with the CalVTP; there are more than 150 such state and local agencies. The Program EIR allows for CEQA streamlining through associated documentation, including “within the scope” findings. The streamlined approach documents a project’s environmental effects and which resource protection measures from the Program EIR would be incorporated to avoid and reduce effects, including on wildlife and habitat.

The California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP) Program EIR directs the implementation of vegetation treatments on 20 million acres across California to reduce wildfire risks, restore ecosystems, and minimize the harmful effects of wildfire on the people, property, and natural resources in California. The CalVTP is now being implemented to streamline and expedite environmental review of treatment projects while simultaneously incorporating strong environmental protections. Current projects being implemented include treatment activities such as mechanical and manual treatments, prescribed burning, herbivory, and herbicide application. Because these activities may have the potential to adversely affect sensitive habitats and special status species, a robust impact avoidance and mitigation framework was built into the CalVTP in coordination with resource agencies including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Coastal Commission. Real-world project-specific examples will demonstrate how CalVTP’s streamlining has substantially cut time and cost for environmental review of fuel treatment projects, while also avoiding and minimizing adverse effects on special-status wildlife species. Case studies will highlight the agency coordination requirements and biological resources mitigation framework of the CalVTP, which was designed to encompass species and resources statewide, be inherently flexible to address the needs of specific projects, and compliant with CEQA.

Pyrodiversity is the spatial or temporal variability in fire effects across a landscape. Multiple ecological hypotheses suggest that high pyrodiversity will lead to high biodiversity. This resultant “pyrodiversity–biodiversity” hypothesis has grown popular but has received mixed support by recent empirical research. We performed a systematic literature review of research related to pyrodiversity and the pyrodiversity–biodiversity hypothesis and also examined how two individual species with distinct relationships with fire (spotted owl Strix occidentalis and black-backed woodpecker Picoides arcticus) respond to pyrodiversity as case studies to illustrate underlying mechanisms. We identified 41 tests of the pyrodiversity–biodiversity hypothesis reported from 33 studies; 18 (44%) presented evidence in support of the pyrodiversity–biodiversity hypothesis, while 23 (56%) did not. However, a recent body of research shows that biodiversity appears to respond positively to pyrodiversity in the Sierra Nevada, CA. In addition, both the spotted owl and black-backed woodpecker – two species expected to respond in opposite ways to fire disturbance – respond positively to pyrodiversity as well. This suggests that pyrodiversity may promote both biodiversity broadly and focal species in this region. The positive benefits of pyrodiversity to overall forest resilience suggest broader adoption of this management paradigm could achieve multiple objectives.

Though useful for analyzing landscape-scale patterns, habitat models must be assessed in the field to verify their real-world applicability. In partnership with the Karuk Wildlife Team, we evaluated several methodologies to assess the validity of a Pacific fisher habitat connectivity model created by the Conservation Biology Institute. The model mapped habitat suitability and connectivity linkages that may serve as least-cost paths and "corridors" for fishers to travel between important habitat cores. Using camera traps across the spring mating season when fishers travel widely, we tested several methods for detecting fisher movements: a baited camera grid design, unbaited cameras placed at key linkage points, and habitat surveys to ground-truth the model outputs.

Baited camera traps confirmed fisher occupancy in modeled core habitat adjacent to potential linkage sites, the first reported fisher detections in some sites. Fishers were seldom detected in linkage habitat and unbaited camera locations. Habitat quality across cores and potential crossing structures varied depending on recent fire conditions, but failed to predict fisher occupancy. While camera traps adequately detected fisher across associated habitats, we could not confirm whether the same individuals traveled across the linkage. Genetic analyses or radio telemetry, when feasible, would deepen our understanding of fisher dispersal through fragmented landscapes and allow thorough model validation.