California is a land of contrasts. Our cities, which occupy only 5% of the state’s land, hold 90% of our population. The other 95% of the state is composed of suburban and rural communities, tribal lands, agricultural lands, rangelands, forests, mountains, and deserts. This is where many of our faculty, students, and researchers pursue their work.
David Ackerly. Photo by Mathew Burciaga.
That’s why this issue of Breakthroughs looks inland to California’s rural and agricultural areas and their people, ecosystems, and biodiversity. We spotlight faculty members assessing and improving the health and well-being of residents in agricultural areas like the Central Valley, where nearly a quarter of the food consumed in the US is grown, and also feature various projects aimed at increasing understanding of and access to California’s precious water resources.
One story highlights Berkeley faculty restoring beneficial fire to the state’s forestlands. Recognizing that fire is inevitable in many of California’s landscapes, they are prioritizing areas and forest management techniques that will have the most impact for preventing devastating wildfires.
We also turn attention to California’s iconic rangelands, which occupy a vast amount of the state’s land area. These working landscapes are essential for California’s cattle and sheep production, and livestock grazing there not only reduces wildfire fuels but also ensures these vital open spaces continue to provide habitat for wildlife, store carbon, and supply clean water.
Through in-depth interviews, longstanding working relationships, and co-designed research programs, our researchers are coordinating closely with residents of the areas they study. In addition to bringing results and recommendations back to those communities, they are also communicating findings to policymakers.
I hope these pages will leave you newly informed about our unique state and its challenges, and invigorated by the impact Rausser College is having for the benefit of California’s people, landscapes, and ecosystems.
Breakthroughs magazine is published twice per year by Rausser College of Natural Resources at the University of California, Berkeley.
