Pacific Southwest Research Station

Pacific Southwest Research Station
800 Buchanan Street
West Annex Building
Albany, CA 94710-0011

(510) 559-6300

Urban Ecosystems and Social Dynamics

Urban Ecosystems and Processes

Urban-Wildland Interface

Urbanization of rural areas creates a plethora of problems, ranging from increased pollution from cars to wildlife habitat destruction from new construction. In the West, expanding populations in the urban-wildland interface create areas with increased fire risk and a loss of the natural ecosystem functions. Our research is investigating the vegetation component to determine how different landscaping choices affect homeowners' or the communities' fire safety.

Studies

1. Alternative Prescriptions for Firewise Residential Landscapes


2. EcoSMART - EnergyWise


3. Impacts of Urbanization in the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem


4. Miscellaneous Urban-Wildland Interface Literature