Stewart McMorrow

California's seed bank stores seeds for reforestation, but the state cannot replant forests fast enough to offset wildfire damage. Climate change and historical fire suppression have intensified wildfires, threatening to permanently convert forests into brush. Reforestation efforts face challenges due to insufficient seed capacity, staffing, and funding, with federal lands requiring significant attention.

California is struggling to replant forests fast enough to counteract the damage caused by wildfires. A seed bank in Davis stores 42,000 pounds of seeds as part of efforts to preserve and regenerate forest ecosystems.

California's seed bank in Davis stores seeds for reforestation, but wildfires are destroying forests faster than they can be replanted. High-severity fires have burned 2.3 million acres, and by 2071, half of California's forests could vanish. The state needs to triple seed bank capacity to address the crisis, but federal land and funding challenges persist.