Science

Science underpins everything we do at Blue Forest

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Tahoe National Forest

We combine the latest science with traditional knowledge and environmental restoration activities to build more resilient ecosystems and communities.

How ecosystem restoration works

Millions of acres of forest in the Western U.S. burn
catastrophically every year. And millions more are at
extreme risk.

Tahoe National Forest

That’s due, in part, to over a century of fire suppression.

When small, naturally occurring fires are suppressed, the forests we’re left with are denser than before. They have more trees, more bushes, more flammable material than would naturally occur.

If fire enters these overstocked forests, it’s catastrophic. We need to remove some of this flammable material so the forest can safely receive fire. And we also need to restore habitats, rivers, meadows, and other parts of the ecosystem.

We need to restore forests to how they were when Indigenous land stewards cared for them, to make them resilient to not just fire, but to insect outbreak, drought, and mortality. And we need to do it urgently as climate change brings additional challenges.

Ecological restoration work includes fuels reduction, removing trees by hand or machine, reintroducing beneficial fire, and activities like meadow restoration.

Key Benefits of Ecosystem Restoration

A resilient ecosystem has far reaching benefits for nature and communities, providing habitat, protecting water resources, and safeguarding infrastructure.

Key Benefits of Ecosystem Restoration

01. Biodiversity

Resilient ecosystems are characterized by varied species compositions and structures across a landscape

02. Wildfire Risk Reduction

Resilient forests are at decreased risk of high severity fire, protecting ecosystems, communities, and infrastructure from harm

03. Habitat Protection

Healthy ecosystems provide key habitat for a diverse range of animal species

04. Recreation

Healthy ecosystems support numerous outdoor recreation activities

05. Water Security

Resilient forests and ecosystems maintain clean and abundant water for human consumption, irriga­tion, industry, and power generation

06. Carbon Stability

Resilient forest ecosystems are less susceptible to high severity fire, reducing the emission of carbon stored in trees during a wildfire

07. Community Resilience

Resilient forest ecosystems protect communities from the impacts of high-severity, catastrophic wildfires

08. Economic Development

Restoration and maintenance of resilient forests and other ecosystems creates jobs and supports businesses through project implementation and wood products manufacturing

09. Public Health

Resilient forests and other ecosystems protect multiple aspects of public health, including reducing smoke exposure by lowering the risk of severe wildfire and protecting water quality

  • Biodiversity

  • Wildfire Risk Reduction

  • Habitat Protection

  • Recreation

  • Water Security

  • Carbon Stability

  • Community Resilience

  • Economic Development

  • Public Health

West Coast Fire Map

How we leverage science to help

Science is the backbone of our Forest Resilience
Bond projects.

Our science team works to evaluate and monitor project benefits. We help develop, test, and deploy new tools and methods for measuring restoration project outcomes.

We partner with academic and research organizations to evaluate and communicate the benefits of investing in ecosystem resilience.

And we maintain a portfolio of independent research projects aimed at gaining new insights into the benefits of well-managed landscapes.

What our Science Partners & Advisors say

  • “As an early science advisor of Blue Forest, I am proud to have my research group’s scientific analysis as the backbone of the first and future Forest Resilience Bonds – helping water utilities connect healthy forests to the sustainability of their water resources.”

    Roger Bales, Distinguished Professor, University of California, Merced and Adjunct Professor, University of California, Berkeley

  • “There are many benefits of resilient forests that can be leveraged for investment. We are just beginning to tap into those benefits. For example, the impacts of wildfires on water systems and water bodies are often sidelined or overlooked. However, it’s after the fires have been contained and the smoke has dissipated that this gradual and persistent challenge starts to surface. The good news is that there are actions that can be taken to both mitigate impact and increase the adaptive capacity of our water systems.”

    Newsha Ajami, Chief Strategy and Development Officer for Research, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

  • “Blue Forest is doing great work. Their vision of monetizing and contractually delivering ecosystem services that come from forest restoration can help pay for it. The most compelling part of this partnership with Blue Forest is the idea that we can monetize additional environmental benefits and fold them into the conservation finance expertise that Blue Forest has. Together we’re exploring and trying to monetize these new sources of revenue to support forest restoration.”

    Dan Sanchez, Assistant Professor, University of California Berkeley

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