A team of UC Merced researchers was recently awarded $100,000 from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to identify ways to improve drought resilience and reduce the risk of wildfire in Sierra Nevada forests. Professor Roger Bales, who also serves as director of the Sierra Nevada Research Institute (SNRI), Professor Martha Conklin and SNRI Research Scientist Mohammad Safeeq will develop ...

The 2012-2016 drought was arguably the worst in memory. In a quick turnaround, the state’s infrastructure is full and water managers are battling with the wettest winter, and possibly year, on record since 1985. The 2016-2017 October-February statewide precipitation total was 28.5 inches, an extra foot of water covering the entire state. At 180% above average, this year ranked first of 122-year...

Mountain forests are more than a pretty place, more than tall trees and expansive meadows, more than a destination for winter snow play and summer river splashing. The forest provides hundreds of natural services, upon which we all depend. More than 50% of California’s water supply comes from rivers that begin in the Sierra Nevada. Persistent drought, past forest management strategies, feder...

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — Thanks in part to El Niño, snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is greater than it has been in years. With the winter snowfall season winding down, California officials said that the pack peaked two weeks ago at 87 percent of the long-term average. That’s far better than last year, when it was just 5 percent of normal and Gov. Jerry Brown announced restrictions on water ...