Robert Rhew presents "Fire and Ice in the Central Sierras"

(March 29, 2022) Robs presentation to the UCB Learning in Retirement Seminar series discussed how the Central Sierra Field Stations are currently working towards understanding and addressing major environmental issues facing California, with a focus on severe wildfires and climate change.

Nestled in the central Sierra Mountains are a constellation of field sites managed by UC Berkeley, including the Central Sierra Snow Lab and the Sagehen Creek Field Station. These two field stations are addressing two of the most important climate change problems facing California today: the erratic winter snowfall and the higher risk of wildfire in the summer. In this talk, Dr. Rhew describes the history of the Central Sierra Field Stations and their surrounding landscape. He explains the important research occurring at these two field stations, including the observations of climate extremes this past winter at the Snow Lab and the challenges of mitigating fire risks through forest management at Sagehen. The problems facing California are many years in the making, and will be with us for many years in the future. It’s worth taking some time to understand how we got here, and how these research stations can help us chart a course for the future.

The full presentation is available HERE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SANRB1_6X4

Caption: Prescribed burning at Sagehen Creek Field Station