Treesearch

In 1961, cooperative watershed management research in the Lower Conifer Zone of California was started. Currently, the research is being conducted by the Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station of the U. S. Forest Service with the cooperation of the State of California, Department of Water Resources, and the Division of Forestry. Recently, the Station entered into a cooperative agreement with Humboldt State College for joint research on the Caspar Creek Study. Research in the Lower Conifer Zone is designed to obtain information and develop principles which will give greater...

Germination, survival, and growth of ponderosa pine, sugar pine, white fir, and incense-cedar were studied in relation to such environmental factors as air and soil temperatures, light intensity, and soil moisture. The germination of ponderosa pine was best, followed by sugar pine, incense-cedar, and white fir. After 5 years, sugar pine had the highest survival rate, followed by ponderosa pine, incense-cedar, and white fir. Highest survival occurred on a cleared, north-facing slope. Natural regeneration of the pines can succeed with protection from rodents and elimination of competition.

The Caspar Creek Watershed Study, is located on the Jackson State Forest. It is a cooperative study by the California Division of Forestry, The Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, the California Department of Water Resources and the California Department of Fish and Game. The precipitation records were started in 1961. The weirs, however, were not completed until November 1962. The study area is five miles south of Fort Bragg and five miles inland. It consists of two comparable watersheds: the North Fork which drains 1264 acres, and the South Fork which drains 1078 acres.

Intermingled pines and mountain whitethorn were treated with foliar sprays of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T to test their effects according to (1) season of year, (2) concentration of spray on individual tree-brush clumps, and (3) spray dosage applied on an area basis. Spraying with 2,4,5-T in September resulted in the best tree growth and most brush kill; 2,4-D caused the most tree damage and was less effective as a brush killer. The best brush kill resulted from application rates of 400 to 600 ppm of 2,4,5-T, but these concentrations reduced tree growth. After two full growing seasons, average...

The fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, previously reported infecting only the true fir form of dwarfmistletoe, Arceuthobium campylopodum f. Abietinum, also infects A. campylopodum f. typicum and A. americanum in California. Isolates of this fungus from each form or species of dwarfmistletoe are culturally distinct from one another. Differences in mycelial growth, colony color, and diameter growth and sporulation were noted. Cross inoculation showed that the fungus is not host specific. All three isolates will infect the dwarfmistletoe forms and species mentioned. Results of the studies...

Two corn plant samples, one cut in the fall while green, the other after weathering over the winter, exhibited strikingly different combustion properties. The increased susceptibility to flaming combustion of the spring-harvested sample is attributable to its decreased ash content, and not directly to its moisture content.

An upholsterer's hog-ringer, with Hill's No. 1 pig rings, increased production of one-foot-square wire seed traps by 25 percent. A design modification allowed two bottom sections to be cut from a 36-inch roll of wire.

Recognizing that weather is an important factor in the spread of both urban and wildland fires, a study was made of the synoptic weather patterns and types which produce strong winds, low relative humidities, high temperatures, and lack of rainfall--the conditions conducive to rapid fire spread. Such historic fires as the San Francisco fire of 1906, the Berkeley fire of 1923, the Chicago fire of 1871, the Bel Air- Brentwood fire of 1961, and the Hamburg firestorm of 1943 were undoubtedly influenced by the weather pattern occurring at the time. If critical fire weather periods can be...

Eight hybrid and native pines were planted in 1950 on three locations of the Stanislaus-Tuolumne Experimental Forest. Height, diameter, and survival data were recorded annually. Physical injuries from snow, insects,and animals were surveyed in 1962. After 12 years, the most promising hybrid at 5,200 and 5,400 feet elevation was Jeffrey x (Jeffrey x Coulter). This backcross hybrid showed little damage from insects, snow, or porcupines.

Registration data at campgrounds where fees are charged can provide information that will be useful in planning and design of facilities and in outdoor recreation research. Several available sources of information are described, and proposals for effective collection and use of registration data are suggested.