The Sierra Nevada Alliance is proud to share what our staff member and Sierra Corps Forestry Fellow, Luis Vidal’s been working on! Luis’ innovative forest restoration project in collaboration with Eldorado National Forest and American Forests. has been funded through the Timber Regulation and Forest Restoration Fund. His work has focused on reforestation efforts and regeneration research in the King Fire burn scar.

Here is a rundown of some of the great work Luis has been doing:

• Needle collection – Recently, Luis has been organizing and guiding the collection of sugar pine needles from 130 candidate sugar pine trees to give to the Placerville nursery, who will have them genetically tested for natural resistance to White Pine Blister Rust disease. White pine blister rust is caused by a non-native fungus that was introduced to North America in the early 1900s and has now spread to 38 states. All North American high-elevation white pines are susceptible to the disease, and the loss of these trees can have cascading effects on their ecosystems.
• Placerville Nursery Clients Meeting – Luis attended the Placerville Nursery Clients’ meeting on behalf of American Forests, who purchased 300,000 seedlings scheduled for 2022 planting in the King Fire burn scar. The meeting was part of a two-day workshop for land managers in reforestation from across the region on the seedling status and the Nursery’s capacity and challenges.
• National Forest Homeowners Association Conference – Luis also joined a panel and presented at the 2021 National Forest Homeowner’s Association Conference on October 23rd. Luis presented on post-fire forest ecology, showcasing the potential ecological effects immediately following a wildfire as well as potential solutions that can be used to address these new challenges. We are grateful that Alliance staff are being recognized for their work! Great job Luis!!