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We characterized the volume, weight and top surface area of naturally fallen logs in an old-growth redwood forest, and quantified conifer recruit densities on these logs and on the surrounding forest floor. We report significantly greater conifer recruit densities on log substrates as compared to the forest floor. Log substrate availability was calculated on a per hectare basis using the line-intersect method. This method is used to estimate the amount of coarse woody debris present, by measuring log diameters intersected along randomly oriented transects. Conifer recruitment on intersected...

According to the State of California, most of North Coast’s watersheds are impaired by sediment. This study quantified sediment yield from watersheds under different management conditions. Temporary sedimentation basins were installed in 30 randomly chosen first-order streams in two watersheds in Humboldt County, California. Most treatment sites were clearcuts, but two types of clearcut harvest occurred: sites harvested under strict regulations of a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and sites harvested prior to implementation of the HCP. Second-growth stands not recently entered served as...

The Eureka area of northwestern California is characterized by a variety of terrain forms that reflect a variety of geologic materials, most of which are components of the highly disrupted and heterogeneous Franciscan Complex. Recent regional geologic mapping by McLaughlin and others (2000) has delineated the distribution of contrasting materials within the principal recognized units of the Franciscan, and so has revealed for the first time the intricate distribution of materials in much of the area. This geologic mapping was used by a mass-wasting review panel to select areas for detailed...

Coast redwood forests are predominantly a timber managed habitat type, subjected to repeated disturbances and short rotation periods. What does this repeated disturbance mean for rare plants associated with the redwood forests? Rare plant persistence through forest management activities is influenced by many factors. Persistence of rare plants in a managed landscape is not in itself an indication of viability, but may reflect an overall increase, equilibrium, or decline in numbers. Although the persistence of some species can seemingly mimic weedy behavior, it is important to distinguish...

Vegetation classifications, based primarily on physiognomic variability and canopy dominants and derived principally from remotely sensed imagery, have been completed for the entire redwood range (Eyre 1980, Fox 1989). However, systematic, quantitative, floristic-based vegetation classifications in old-growth redwood forests have not been completed for large portions of redwood’s range. Quantitative classifications have been completed in portions of the northern (Atzet and Wheeler 1984, Becking 1967, Jimerson and Jones 2000, Lenihan 1986, Mahony 1999a, Mahony and Stuart 2000, Matthews...

Fire regimes in coast redwood forests in the northeastern Santa Cruz Mountains were determined by ring counts from 46 coast redwood stumps and live trees. The earliest recorded fire from two live samples was in 1615 and the last fire recorded was in 1884, although samples were not crossdated. For all sites combined, the mean fire return interval (FRI) was 12.0 years; the median FRI was 10 years. There was a significant difference in mean FRI between the four sampled sites. Past fire scars occurred most frequently in the latewood portion of the annual ring or during the dormant period. It...

Redwood National Park is comprised of large areas of overstocked stands resulting from harvest of the old-growth stands in the late 1940s to the 1970s. The Holter Ridge Thinning Study was initiated in 1978 to address this problem and examine the effects that thinning to varying spacing would have on forest development. Densities following thinning in 1979 ranged from 150 to 790 stems/acre with the controls ranging from 1170 to 3410 stems/acre. Mortality from 1979 to 2003 showed a positive relationship to the number of stems/acre post thinning. The number of redwood sprouts was positively...

The Mill Creek Property was a commercial timberland acquired by the State of California to protect and restore local and regional ecological values and provide opportunities for compatible recreation. Interim Management Recommendations (IMR) were developed to guide protection, restoration, and public access of the Property until the California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) develops a General Plan. Using existing data as well as public and professional input, the IMR planning process identified management alternatives for forest restoration and other priority issues. Recommendatio...

A panel of polymorphic microsatellite markers have been developed in coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). Two loci in particular (Seq18D7-3 and Seq21E5) demonstrate the potential of microsatellite genotyping in the assessment of genetic diversity and inheritance in redwoods. The highly polymorphic Seq18D7-3 marker provided evidence for the planting of non-local redwood seedlings in a restored area of a state park and was used to genotype progeny from a controlled cross. A putative chloroplast microsatellite locus (Seq21E5) was shown to be paternally inherited in two controlled crosses and...

Redwood forests are not traditionally known for a diverse vascular plant flora or a large number of sensitive plant taxa. Approximately 90 percent of redwood forests are privately owned and most are managed for timber production. Historically, information on sensitive plants in the redwoods has been scarce because few sensitive plant surveys were conducted on public lands, botanists have typically not had access to private lands, and no botanical survey data was requested in the permitting process for projects on managed timberlands. Prior to 1999, most of the information available on...