Carrie and Carmen joined a group of scientists from the Forest Service, UC Davis, and UC Berkeley on a fire science retreat in Baja California, Mexico, this June. The trip, which was hosted by the California Fire Science Consortium, allowed U.S. researchers to observe forests with similar plant communities to those we study in the Sierra Nevada, but with different management and fire histories. The visit also allowed for knowledge exchange between Californian experts and members of Mexico’s Comisión Nacional Forestal, or CONAFOR, which manages local forests.
The group began in Ensenada with a day of presentations by Californian and Mexican experts and land managers. We then went on to Sierra de San Pedro Mártir National Park (SSPM), where Scott Stephens gave us a tour of some of his long-term forest monitoring efforts. After two days of beautiful hikes through SSPM, we drove to for Constitución National Park (PNC) and were briefed on recent forest and grazing management strategies by that park’s managers. Finally, we wrapped up the trip with a night at Laguna Mountain, in the Cleveland National Forest, California, where managers have been implementing progressive, hands-on techniques for fire risk reduction.
Thank you to the California Fire Science Consortium for making this trip possible!