Prescribed fire, which mimics natural fire regimes, can help improve forest health and reduce the likelihood of catastrophic wildfire. But this management tool is underused in the fire-prone U.S. West and Baja California, Mexico, due to several barriers.

Derek Urwin and his fellow firefighters have a mordant quip about wildland fires that burn into developed areas: “That one took a couple of years off my life.”

Wildfire smoke may carry mold spores that cause fungal infections in humans. Naomi Hauser, an infectious disease specialist and assistant clinical professor at UC Davis Health, built strong partnerships with community fire departments to measure the spread of spores during wildfires.

In wildfire-beleaguered California, firefighters and emergency personnel race to help humans, livestock and neighborhoods across the state, year after year. Now, a new network is being created to help treat injured individuals from an overlooked population — wildlife.

Schmidt is part of a group at UC Davis studying the effects of wildfires on pregnant women and their unborn children. The goal is to find out what chemicals these women and their unborn children were exposed to and what long-term effects they could have.