Climate change and how it will affect our natural world has emerged as the dominant issue of this decade and beyond.
Why is building climate and fire resilience important?
Globally, warming temperatures and changing weather patterns have given rise to unprecedented conditions: extreme heat, more intense storms, droughts, sea level rise, and wildfires. These conditions are generated by a warming trend just shy of 2° Fahrenheit. If we do not change course to reverse our emissions trajectory within the next ten years, the warming is projected to triple by this century's end.
As we work to understand and adapt to our climate-warmed environment, Pepperwood offers a unique laboratory for exploring adaptation strategies for our future. As the largest climate research institute in the North Bay, Pepperwood’s data serves hundreds of agencies and organizations throughout California, including CAL FIRE.
How we're building climate & fire resilience
We are increasing our community's resilience to climate and fire hazards, while maintaining or enhancing the health of our watersheds and ecosystems. We use our 3,200-acre reserve to conduct and evaluate adaptive demonstration projects for prescribed fire, conservation grazing, forest thinning, native plant restoration, and post-fire remediation. Pepperwood is developing “nature-based” solutions for climate and fire resilience and providing a model for “Mediterranean-type” ecosystems world-wide.