Conservation & Biodiversity

In partnership with neighboring jurisdictions, Stanford’s Fire Fuels Management Program reduces high-severity wildfire risk through prescribed burns, mechanical thinning, and vegetation monitoring across campus lands. These techniques protect neighboring open spaces and sensitive species, enhance native biodiversity, and support long-term ecosystem resilience, with ongoing field analyses informing adaptive management strategies.

The Searsville Watershed Restoration Project will transform the sediment-filled Searsville Reservoir into a confluence valley with free-flowing creeks and riparian forest to restore hydrologic connectivity and improve flood control. In the implementation phase, the Conservation Program may take a more active role in monitoring biodiversity, promoting watershed restoration, and protecting rare and threatened species.

To safeguard federally and state-listed species, the Conservation Program will conduct habitat and corridor analyses to guide land use decisions and identify future conservation needs. This strategy builds on the Stanford Habitat Conservation Plan and is expected to reduce habitat loss and support biodiversity resilience under changing climate conditions.

Stanford is restoring aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats by creating ponds, installing water storage systems, and managing riparian vegetation to improve seasonal water retention and protect sensitive species during droughts. These efforts strengthen campus ecosystems most vulnerable to water scarcity and support long-term biodiversity resilience.

Stanford is exploring the opportunity to preserve existing oak woodlands by protecting seedlings from deer, minimizing disturbance near mature trees, and thinning overgrown stands to support plant diversity. Restoration efforts focus on planting diverse, site-appropriate species in historically occupied areas. Collaborative research with faculty from the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability is exploring how fungal inoculum from mature oak woodlands increases diversity, carbon sequestration rates, and plant vigor in oak woodland restoration sites.

Stanford is restoring native grassland areas to counter the spread of climate-resilient, non-native weeds—with priority efforts focused on Lagunita and conservation easements that support sensitive species. Restoration activities include experimental work, targeted weed management, and native seeding to strengthen biodiversity and ecosystem resilience.

Stanford aims to support species migration and early detection of invasive species to generate knowledge for climate-smart conservation and strengthen long-term biodiversity and habitat resilience.

Stanford restores natural ecosystems that sequester carbon, buffer extreme heat, and improve watershed resilience. As restoration projects scale, the Conservation Program is working to quantify these benefits to support integration into university-wide climate accounting.

Stanford will explore restoration project opportunities on up to 200 acres of university lands, which have the potential to sequester over 55,000 metric tons of carbon. Through long-term habitat restoration and invasive species management, these projects will improve soil health and enhance biodiversity.

Stanford is relocating the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve corporation yard from a FEMA-designated 100-year floodplain to a more central, elevated site outside flood boundaries. The project addresses recurring stormwater intrusion; unsafe, aging structures; and access disruptions during heavy rain events. By consolidating maintenance functions into a smaller, purpose-built facility with improved circulation and drainage, the relocation will strengthen operational continuity, protect staff safety, and reduce flood-related risk to critical land stewardship operations during extreme precipitation events.