Protecting the Rivers of the California Delta

We explored the riverside habitats of Central California to better understand their role in slowing climate change.

Trees and shrubs take in carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and give off oxygen while storing much of the carbon in their woody tissue, thus slowing the process of climate change. Trees and shrubs, in turn, depend upon pollinators (bees and butterflies) for reproduction.

Bees pollinate up to 75% of our food plants, and butterflies are essential for native plant reproduction. In the Central Valley of California, large-scale industrial agriculture does not provide good habitat for these insects: bees and butterflies are sensitive to many of the pesticides that are used to control non-native insect pests. Natural areas such as riparian (riverside) habitat and upland valley oak forest are therefore critical for their survival.

By measuring the size and biomass of a tree, we can calculate how much carbon it is storing.

Our research focused on two features of the riparian forest: its community of insect plant pollinators and the sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere by trees. By better understanding the role of native insects and trees in ecosystems and by measuring their contribution to such vital processes as pollination and carbon storage, we can find ways to protect these organisms and restore the services they provide to both people and nature.