Resilience after the flames

In Southern California shrublands, wildflowers proliferate after fire while native shrubs recover by resprouting or germinating from the soil seed bank. As climate change, increased development, and the spread of invasive species lead to more frequent wildfires, we may need to step in more often to help landscapes recover and maintain the benefits nature provides. This article in the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s biannual Ironwood newsletter describes some of the ways I worked at the Garden to better understand exactly where, how, and when to interven in post-fire landscapes to make the greatest impact.

Vegetative spread is key to applied nucleation success in non-native-dominated grasslands

Planting species that can spread vegetatively through rhizomes is a successful strategy in restoring coastal California grasslands, and can be combined with applied nucleation to maximize outcomes with fewer resources.

Perceptions of listed plant reintroductions

Listed plant species can be challenging to reintroduce, but most practioners we interviewed feel that longer-duration funding, better collaboration, and more experimentation could help improve outcomes.

Homogenizing biodiversity in restoration

Restoration frequently aims to improve native species biodiversity at a site, but practitioners have limited resources. The selective use of certain guilds or species can come at the cost of biodiversity, resulting in the overall homogenization of the ecosystem.

Late summer fog use in California sagebrush

Coastal fog affects many California plant species and can be critically important to species that experience periodic drought. To determine fog water use in drought-deciduous plants, we manipulated access to fog drip and measured the water relations of the common shrub, Artemisia californica, near Santa Barbara, CA.