Can Forest & Creek Restoration Create Localized Climate Cooling?
On May 8, 2025, OAEC’s WATER Institute Co-Director, Brock Dolman, contributed to the Napa RISE Climate & Wine Symposium, which is designed to accelerate sustainability and climate action across the wine industry. The forum, on the last of a six-day series, was on ecological restoration and rehydration, featuring local leaders working to create a tangible model for climate-resilient agricultural landscapes in Napa County.
Napa Green’s Anna Brittain facilitated the conversation between Brock, Obi Kaufmann (author of the California Field Atlas Series), Mimi Casteel (Vineyard Manager and Winemaker for Hope Well Wine), and Tod Mostero (Director of Viticulture & Winemaking at Dominus Estate). Brock shared some of the Fuels to Flows work at OAEC and suggested that we think of Napa Valley as a watershed as much as a valley. Honoring the water in Napa County and following practices that keep water on the land, and around during the dry season, can lead to a “rethinking for restoration, from ridge to river to reef,” for a “reverential and resilient rehydration revolution retrofit” that can help enhance biodiversity, reduce fire risk, and generate localized cooling.
Watch the full video here (Brock’s short talk is from minute 8:30 to 15).
Anna Brittain, Obi Kaufmann, Brock Dolman, Mimi Casteel, and Tod Mostero at Napa RISE 2025.
Photo credit: Briana Marie Photography
