A recent study by scientists at UC Berkeley and the U.S. Forest Service looked at how severe wildfire and prolonged drought have resulted in significant loss of conifer forests and mature forest habitat in the Sierra Nevadas between 2011 and 2020.
Under current land management practices, most human activities are excluded from regions that are deemed ecologically important for wildlife through designation of Protected Activity Centers (PACs). While PACs have been effective at reducing the harvest of large trees, they can prevent land managers from using prescribed fire and ecological thinning that may make the PACs more resilient to wildfire.
To read a more in-depth overview of the study, click here.