Topics: Ecosystems and Biodiversity, Traditional Knowledge, Land Use and Land Cover Change
Heritage Oak on the Trefethen Family Winery, Napa, CA.
Photographing 300+ year old Valley oaks in Oak Knoll, Napa
Meeting with advisers to the Valley Oaks production
Photographing herbarium Valley oak specimens from the 1800s
1895 Valley Oak specimen from the California Academy of Sciences Botany collection.
Georeferencing historic Valley oak museum specimens
Comparing SFEI’s historical ecology maps to present day scenery
Hand made Valley Oak acorn cakelets from Jolie Lonner-Egert.
California native peoples managed oak landscapes to benefit the environment and their communities
Robin Grossinger, Ryan Wyatt, Healy Hamilton presenting in Morrison Planetarium
Photosynthesis in June
Oort Cloud, field of asteroids surrounding our Sun brought water and other elements to Earth that are the building blocks of life
Early 1800’s grasslands, marshes, streams, and Valley Oak savannas of Napa Valley
Turrill and Miller Photograph, 1906 Napa Valley
Society of California Pioneers
Oaks before clearing, 1942. St. Helena
USDA aerial photo
Former oak savanna, 2009. St. Helena
USDA NAIP aerial photo
“Re-Oaking” in suburban parking lot. Napa, CA.
Valley Oak distribution projection for the year 2020 under “business-as-usual” greenhouse gas emission scenario
Valley Oak distribution projection for the year 2050 under “business-as-usual” greenhouse gas emission scenario
Scott Gabaldon (Mishewal Wappo Tribe), Nick Tipon (Coast Miwok), Valentin Lopez (Amah Mutsun Tribe) and friends at live event
Valley Oaks: An Ecological Journey Through Time takes a journey from the canopy to the cosmos, exploring the history and ecology of one of California’s most iconic and threatened tree species, the Valley Oak. California Academy scientists, indigenous partners, and historical ecologists from the San Francisco Estuary Institute reveal how Valley Oaks and humans are intertwined in a relationship of disturbance and adaptation, with implications for the health and well-being of Bay Area communities.
This event originally took place at the California Academy of Sciences’ Morrison Planetarium (San Francisco, CA) on December 8, 2011. There were two screenings and dialogues that hosted over 520 people representing a diverse array of participants ranging from policy makers, local tribes, NGOs, educators, and scientists working to help re-establish the Valley Oak in Northern California as well as public audiences during the Academy’s NightLife after-hours event.
The past decade is the warmest on record since instrumental measurements began in the 1880s. Previous research suggested that in the ’80s and ’90s, warmer global temperatures and higher levels of precipitation — factors associated with climate change – were generally good for plant productivity. An updated analysis published this week in Science indicates that as temperatures have continued to rise, the benefits to plants are now overwhelmed by longer and more frequent droughts. High-resolution data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS, indicate a net decrease in NPP from 2000-2009, as compared to the previous two decades.
Re-Oaking the Valley: Bringing Native Trees Back into California’s Suburban Landscapes “Re-Oaking” is an approach to reintegrating oaks and other native trees within the developed California landscape to provide a range of ecosystem services. The concept has emerged from SFEI’s research into the distribution and characteristics of California’s former valley oak savannas — a distinctive, widespread habitat that was mostly lost a century ago. Now valley oaks and other native trees are being recognized for the benefits they did — and could again – provide, as communities design the ecologically healthy and resilient landscapes of the future.
California Oaks Education about Oak trees in order to preserve and protect them
Green World Campaign We plant trees to restore the ecology and economy of some of the world’s poorest places. We help communities develop sustainable livelihoods, return barren soil to fertility, nurture biodiversity, and preserve cultural values.
American Forests American Forests, the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the country, advocates for the protection and expansion of America’s forests. Since 1990, we have planted nearly 40 million trees. Our goal is to work with our partners to plant an additional 25-30 million trees in forest restoration projects during the next five years. We restore watersheds to help provide clean drinking water. We replant forests destroyed by human action and by natural disasters.
ecoSmart Use this program to evaluate the economic trade-offs between different landscape designs on residential parcels.
i-Tree Provides urban forestry analysis and benefits assessment tools that help communities to strengthen their urban forest management and advocacy efforts.
CITYgreen GIS application for land use planning and policy-making that calculates dollar benefits based on specific site conditions.
Tree Carbon Calculator (CTCC) Provides information on the amount of biomass and carbon stored in a tree and the benefits associated with energy conservation projects, such as using a tree to shade a building.
Natural Capital Project InVEST tool Maps and values the goods and services from nature which are essential for sustaining and fulfilling human life.
