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...

Another excellent day on the trail.

Current status

👇

“collaborators were awarded over $5M to launch a prescribed fire across 3,300 acres…it would have been a key demonstration to show that planned fires can burn safely at a large scale…The groups were scheduled to start building fire breaks in September…But then the Garnet Fire ignited Aug. 24…”

🌟 Help uphold the high standards of research we’re proud to publish & become a journal reviewer!✅ Advance your career ✅ Stay up to date with the latest developments ✅ Enjoy rewards & recognition 💚 Discover more publishingsupport.iopscience.iop.org/questions/vo... #PeerReview #EnvironmentalScience

It turns out that if you ask the Delta chatbot why their app sucks, it connects you with customer service after it states “sorry, I’m still learning”. A hard lesson to learn.

The problem with the professional malpractice that causes 536 individuals to shut our government down is that most Americans have no idea. My barber, students in my class, ... Go out an tell people . Today I was lecturing on fire so I told them what it means to be a firefighter and not get paid.

We have done a fantastic job of marring some fantastic landscapes. I give humans 1 star.

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats tearing it up in Taos. First show for me. What a fantastic group of players.

It sure would be nice if software companies, rather than adding AI to their poorly functioning software, they spent the energy to make it work consistently.

This. Got rid of a vehicle and replaced it with an e-cargo bike in 2020. There is a 10” height difference between us, but the cockpit size means we only need two seat posts and both of us can ride it. We’ve put ~5000 miles on it.

The 2025 BC fire season area burned (872k ha) has moved into 5th place with the recent fire activity. This means that the top 6 fire seasons have been since 2017 (records go back to 1950) Area burned-red bars (2017-2025 graph below) far exceeds the green bars (1950-2016). Climate change in action.

Turns out there are more than 2000 other people that also think leadership on the Sierra National Forest is not up to the task. www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/wildfir...

I heard that in the process of prepping this, they only found one sequoia seedling and that tells you everything you need to know about this forest’s commitment to managing this grove. There is ample research and management evidence that these trees need fire to reproduce.

A fire raging through the Sierra National Forest has burned through part of a grove of giant sequoias. @lilaseidman.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/... @latimes.com

The Garnet Fire has burned through a place I have worked since 2002. A place I hold dear. We knew this wasn't a matter of if, but when. Unfortunately the leadership on the Sierra National Forest didn't have the same urgency that we did. My eulogy for Teakettle. www.hurteaulab.org/blog/a-eulog...

Our op-ed in the Santa Fe New Mexican today highlights the potential losses from closure of the nine US Forest Service Regional Offices, namely local leadership knowledge and capacity, experienced people, and priceless documentary records: www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_v...

Finishing up a week of meetings with friends and colleagues in Montpellier. I really enjoy walking around the city center, especially at night.