Packing up for the field and listening to Further 12-31-2009. Been revisiting a bunch of Dead incarnations the past several weeks.

Free Walking/Rolling at Winrock Mall I'd like to report this as "Winrock Mall closes street to vehicular traffic to create pedestrian mall," but the fact drivers can't turn from Pennsylvania NE into Winrock isn't about us/that. Well, at least directly. While I very much enjoyed seeing drivers…

Hope for a breakdown of La Niña and some spring moisture in the SW and CA. We’re going to see our wildland fire resources stretched thin this summer if something doesn’t give.

My colleagues Calvin Farris (NPS) and Ellis Margolis (USGS) led a landmark study in paleofire reconstruction. In addition to showing that fire management can restore past fire regimes, the demonstrated methods are a first in dendrochronology. 1/6 esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

The warmth in Albuquerque over the past four months has been remarkable and a bit alarming. Each month has ranked among the top five warmest on record. Taken together, this October through January period was nearly 3° warmer than the previous warmest period. #NMwx

Rode 9 mi to the train station to head up to the capital and put some of the tech we’re using for measuring fuel moisture, microclimate, and surface temp on display for state lawmakers. Rolled up the sport coat in a plastic bag so it could ride in the pannier. Glad I didn’t need a full on suit.

NEW EPISODE of #FireEcology Chats! 🔥 Bob Keane is joined by Kristen Shive and Scott Stephens to discuss litigation challenges threatening the resilience of Yosemite's giant sequoia trees #SNFECO Listen here: https://fireecology.org/feco-podcast/ep81

The @bikepackingcom.bsky.social folks put together a map of all the Alex Pretti memorial rides happening this weekend. Find one near you! @bikesky.social

A new paper led by @chrismarsh.bsky.social that uses post-fire planted seedlings to model near-term carbon uptake and estimate changes in C uptake under projected climate. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Dear software companies, stop trying to add AI to everything. A better strategy would be to make your core software function in an intuitive manner.

🌡️ The numbers are officially in for 2025: New Mexico tied for the 2nd warmest year on record with 2024. This is all part of a very obvious warming trend since the late 1970s. 9 of the 10 warmest years on record have been since 2000. #NMwx

RIP Bobby. Listening to Highgate, VT 7/13/94 now apnews.com/article/bob-...

Just finished up 10,000 km for the year. 7950 was commuting to work. The best rides were trail rides with friends.

Numerous record high temperatures were broken again today across New Mexico. It is quickly becoming one of the warmest Decembers on record for the state. #NMwx

INRAE is recruiting: @umr-iam.bsky.social should soon be offering a permanent position as a research scientist to study the effect of #microbiota on #tree #health. Visit jobs.inrae.fr/en/open-comp... at the end of January 2026 to apply !

Wrapping up this week with another great day of trail riding. My favorite sign here is the ‘mountain bike optimized’ sign to let everyone else know to be aware and prepared to move. Also a big fan of the ‘no e-bikes’ sign.

The last of my dissertation work is in Ecosystems! Please reach out if I can share a PDF (or a story about trying to do field work during the two biggest California fire years on record 🥲)

Today’s installment involves riding challenging terrain with an old friend. Great way to spend the day.

Hard to beat slick rock and ocotillo

Mood enhancer

You would think that this forecast for Albuquerque looks normal for this time of year based on how steady it is. But each high for the next week and a half is 10° to 20° warmer than normal! #NMwx

Because of phantom references, refs in languages other than English, and incorrect refs, I could tell that ~60% of my 400 level ugrads outsourced their papers to LLMs. I asked them why they thought anyone would hire them to do a mediocre job they could just get AI to do themselves?

Letting the semester go…

1/3 In our new peer-reviewed paper, we estimate that aboveground forest carbon storage is projected to decrease by 18% (796 Tg C) under +2°C climate warming in the western US. 🧪🌍 This has big implications for carbon offset programs! Next slide, please ...

I remembered this book this morning while on my bike. I think our transition to an asshole culture is complete. When publish in 2012, James noted we were trending that way. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asshole...

I am giving a CalFire webinar tomorrow, Nov 25, at 3pm PDT on our work on Eastern Sierra post-fire forest regeneration, tree-shrub relationships, and cheatgrass invasion in the region (cue hissing noise). Register here! events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/d08db5...

Craig Finn, Patterson Hood, and Alejandro Escovedo. Wow!

While grateful for the snow, this will form the persistent weak layer for the 25/26 season in northern NM.

Scott Stephens and I have written an editorial on what we think is necessary to select for leadership in land management agencies so they are able to manage our public lands during rapid change. @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

RIP Todd Snider. Many great shows

New paper out! We document tornado-strength (98 mph) counter-rotating vortices that developed within California’s 2021 #DixieFire. These fire-generated vortices reshaped the fire front and spread, posing immediate risks to firefighters and civilians. doi.org/10.1175/MWR-...

I’m pleased to share that a book I’ve coedited, *Landkeeping: Restoring Indigenous Fire Stewardship and Ecological Partnerships* is now available for preorder everywhere books are sold—including at the OSU Press website, where the promo code S26 will extend a 20% discount and free shipping to you.

When fire season declines in the western U.S., it picks up in the east. Dry October & Novembers are wildfire season before winter freeze, especially in Appalachia. Same solutions: more prescribed fires, cultural burning, fuel treatments & public awareness of risk. www.wusa9.com/article/news...

While at Teakettle two weeks ago, the camera crew documenting the fire prefaced a question about the 3200 ac prescribed burn as it being a really large Rx fire. I came home from that trip and this was getting buttoned up. The mean Rx size here is larger than 3200 ac.

Still relevant: Study Finds Controlled Washington, D.C. Wildfires Crucial For Restoring Healthy Political Environment — theonion.com/study-finds-...

New Mexico experienced the 7th warmest October on record, highlighted by above average warmth all across the state. Northwest New Mexico had one of the wettest Octobers on record, thanks to the remnants of two tropical systems. #NMwx

Installed sensors at Teakettle this weekend. I broke down 5 times. The District Ranger requested that I tell ‘the truth’ about the fire and the forest. Here you go…

Please, oh please. How much time is wasted on pdf forms where the form developer did not create a form that is fillable with reader.

I think it’s important to pitch in for my community. I now have a side hustle as a lime scooter relocation specialist. If you grab the battery handle and the rear fender, you can get a good grip…

Following up on Greg Weaver’s Fresnoland article on Teakettle, this podcast mentions “Tribal burn collaboratives,” but there’s another story or two yet to be reported about the Sierra-Sequoia Burn Cooperative’s continuing ties to Teakettle. open.spotify.com/episode/7he5... @fresnoland.bsky.social

Hit the 5000 mile mark for the year on my way to work today. Tells you just how bad this past winter was since I was riding and not skiing.

Yet another reminder that 1) wildfire is inevitable and 2) if we don’t implement proactive wildfire management actions (such as prescribed fire), our forests are toast. 🔥

Unfortunately, on federal lands this year we are missing another prescribed fire window because of the government shutdown. We are frittering away opportunity every time we put up additional roadblocks to the use of prescribed fire.

Excellent piece by Greg Weaver @fresnoland.bsky.social reporting the problems that led to the loss of Teakettle. We need to future-proof our land management agencies so that internal bureaucratic process and structure does not continue to cause inaction. fresnoland.org/2025/10/14/g...