Moisture content in vegetation is the most critical factor related to how much fuel is available to burn in a wildfire. When the moisture content of living vegetation—also known as live fuel moisture—reaches a critical low threshold, fire danger becomes high.  Hot and dry weather can lower live fuel moisture, but not all species respond the same way.  La Kretz Postdoc Alex Pivovaroff studies the physiological mechanisms that control live fuel moisture in our Santa Monica Mountains.