Cal Fire tests strategies to make redwood forests more resilient to climate change
After several years of planning, public outreach and environmental review, Cal Fire has begun the next phase of the Coastal Adaptive Management Cal Fire has launched the next phase of a long-term study testing forest management strategies to make California's coastal redwood forests more resilient to climate change.
Cal Fire Staff Chief of Resource Protection and Improvement Kevin Conway inspects a mature tree in the Jackson Demonstration State Forest AMEX research plot in Mendocino County, Calif. , on July 10, 2026. (Mary Rose Kaczorowski via Bay City News)After several years of planning, public outreach and environmental review, Cal Fire has begun the next phase of theCoastal Adaptive Management Experiment, commonly referred to as AMEX, at Mendocino County’s Jackson Demonstration State Forest. The long-term research study will evaluate several forest management strategies designed to improve the resilience of California’s coastal redwood forests to climate impacts. AMEX is part of a larger network of replicated experiments across the Sierra Nevada and coastal redwood forests, comparing treatments that mimic historic fire regimes, promote species diversity and reduce carbon loss. The research, funded through a California Forest Health Grant matched by the Demonstration State Forest Program, is designed to generate and track long-term changes in forest composition, structure and function. The treatments represent a suite of plausible management approaches that land managers may use to address both ongoing and emerging stresses on forest ecosystems. Continue reading forfreeSign in to read this story and receive the weekly roundup in your inbox. Success! Your account was created and you’re signed in. Please visitMy Accountto manage your account.