Bay Area scientists dig into how to keep soils healthy as planet warms

With only 7.5% of Earth's surface covered in fertile, agricultural soil, it's critically important to maintain the soil to grow food, filter water, and regulate the climate. Today, Bay Area scientists are working to come up with a better understanding of how to keep our soil healthy in the age of climate change.

About 200 miles north of San Francisco in Butte County, cradled in the Sierra Nevada foothills, a team of scientists spent a weekend digging into the scorched earth. Dr. Jackie Pena, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientist and UC Davis civil and environmental engineer, along with her team carefully collected layers of dirt at the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve .

More than 98% of the reserve was damaged by the 2024 Park Fire , the fourth largest wildfire in Cal