Treesearch

The primary goal of this study was to find economical and effective planting techniques that will ensure the establishment and early survival of coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia Née) and blue oak (Q. douglasii H. and A.) in the Central Coast region of California. Eight treatments were evaluated ranging from unprotected seed spots to those protected by 1/4-inch hardware cloth exclosures. Planting was repeated for two years. Seedling establishment varied significantly among study sites and between planting years. Poor germination and survival was attributed to below normal rainfall before...

The City of Thousand Oaks over the last 20 years has taken aggressive steps to preserve and protect the City's namesake, the oak tree. First adopted in 1972 as an Emergency City Council Proclamation, the City's Oak Tree Ordinance has been considered by some, to be one of the first and toughest municipal native tree preservation ordinances within the State of California. The current Oak Tree Ordinance has undergone twenty years of review and input and has shown to be successful in tree preservation as well as maintaining and increasing community character, quality of development, community...

Intensified use of California's hardwood lands is evolving rapidly. With these changes come clashes over the appropriateness of various land uses and, in some cases, regulatory efforts to control some of these activities. The legal environment facing hardwood landowners is a confusing mix of state, Federal, and local measures. This paper first describes and compares the legal environments facing hardwood land owners as defined by Federal, state and local policies, and secondly identifies some of the causal factors that have contributed to the current legal environment, particularly at the...

The characteristics, uses, and management of oak woodlands and savannas in California and southern Spain are compared. There are many similarities between the Spanish dehesa and the California oak woodland. Both are located in Mediterranean climate zones, and are used predominantly for livestock grazing. However the Spanish dehesa is a more diverse and long-standing system of management. Products include cork, acorn-fattened hogs, charcoal, milk, mushrooms, and lucrative hunting. Analysis of this system offers insight into the role of ecological and economic diversity in sustainable...

Distributions, abundances, and patterns of resource use of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small mammals varied spatially and temporally in California oak woodlands. Spatial variations occurred within stands, between stands of a similar type (e.g., canyon live oak [Quercus chrysolepis], blue oak [Q. douglasii], or valley oak [Q. lobata]), between stand types, and between geographic areas. Temporal variations occurred between seasons and years. Management of wildlife in oak woodlands should be based on research that details seasonal and temporal variations in habitat and resource use....

Hardwood rangelands are becoming an endangered resource on the Central Coast of California. Straightforward inventory processes and management guidelines on which to base sound management decisions provide the landowner the tools to protect and utilize these important hardwood resources. Utilizing a WOODLAND INFORMATION STICK and a ZIG ZAG TRANSECT, landowners can inventory their hardwood range without formidable plot establishment procedures. Utilizing the D+X method of expressing woodland stocking, the inventory results can relate the size of the trees to the growing space available to...

We discuss management goals and research directions for a comprehensive study of wildlife in California's oak woodlands. Oak woodlands are under intensive multiple use, including urbanization, recreation, grazing, fuel wood cutting, and hunting. Research in oak woodlands is thus complicated by these numerous, often competing, interests. Complicating understanding of resource requirements of wildlife is the historic emphasis on the use of these woodlands for grazing by domestic livestock and consumptive wildlife (game). The introduction of exotic wildlife species has further impacted the...

Throughout California, public awareness on the role humans play in the decline of oak acreage is increasing. Public and private organizations, agencies, and individuals are instituting planting days, releasing articles on oaks to the media, and sponsoring lectures. Many of these activities are limited in scope and lack a strong educational component that promotes sustainability. Educational programs certainly need to address such issues as site selection and preparation, acorn selection and storage, nursery propagation, species identification, and audience identification. This paper...

Forage production and forage quality were measured seasonally beneath the canopy of blue oak (Quercus douglasii) and in open grassland at the San Joaquin Experimental Range. At the March and peak standing crop sampling dates forage production was significantly greater (p=.05) beneath blue oak compared to open grassland. At most sampling dates, the protein content was greater, and at some dates the acid detergent fiber and lignin concentration was lower, in forage beneath blue oak than in open grassland. Increased forage production and better forage quality beneath blue oak canopy demonstrat...

Engelmann oaks (Quercus engelmannii) only occur in the foothills of San Diego (93 pct of extant stands), Riverside (6 pct), Orange (0.5 pct), and Los Angeles (25 to ≤50 pct; (four) >50 to ≤75 pct; (five) >75 to ≤95 pct; and (six) >95 to ≤100 pct. All areas were field checked for accuracy in boundary and canopy classification. There are approximately 7,300 ha of woodlands in categories five and six; 14,000 ha in categories three and four; and 9,200 ha in categories one and two. Combining these data with USGS Digital Elevation Models suggests that Engelmann oaks are most concentrated on 0°...