Forest fires leave behind charcoal—and it might be toxic for years
If you stand in the remains of a forest fire in a drizzle, even years after the burn, you can smell woodsmoke rising from the downed logs and charred stumps.…
Read More...Drought takes hold in West after second dry winter
Dry conditions in the Southwest largely associated with La Nina have intensified what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is calling the most significant U.S. spring drought since 2013, affecting…
Read More...Biden mulls giving farmers billions to fight climate change. Even farmers are unsure about the plan.
The Biden administration’s ambitious plan to create a multibillion-dollar bank to help pay farmers to capture carbon from the atmosphere is running into surprising skepticism, challenging Agriculture Department officials to…
Read More...Can cloud seeding help the West’s drought?
With three-quarters of the West gripped by a seemingly ceaseless drought, several states are increasingly embracing a drastic intervention – the modification of the weather to spur more rainfall. The…
Read More...Soils or plants will absorb more CO2 as carbon levels rise—but not both
Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere fuels plant growth. As carbon levels rise, it’s appealing to think of supercharged plant growth and massive tree-planting campaigns drawing down the CO2 produced by…
Read More...USDA official promotes federal purchases of carbon credits
The U.S. government should be prepared to support prices farmers receive for carbon credits but avoid setting up a federally run carbon market that would compete with nascent private markets,…
Read More...Vilsack: US carbon market needs a focus on farmers
A priority for the USDA in the coming years will be judging the feasibility of setting up, executing and paying for a federal carbon bank to help farmers reduce greenhouse…
Read More...How Regenerative Ranching is Revitalizing Rangelands
Duke Phillips, a third generation rancher and the CEO & Founder of Ranchlands, has spent his life on working lands. When people learn this, they generally have one of two notions—a…
Read More...Drought is the U.S. west’s next big climate disaster
Water scarcity is baking cropland and ramping up wildfire risk from California to Texas. Much of the U.S. West is facing the driest spring in seven years, setting up a…
Read More...America’s West Faces A Megadrought. What’s The Solution?
The western U.S. is no stranger to drought. But this isn’t any dry spell. More than 70% of the West is exceptionally parched. Could it be a permanent change?
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