Understory

A stream inventory was conducted during the summer of 1995 on the upper reach of Caspar Creek beginning at the confluence with the unnamed tributary locally known as South Fork Caspar Creek. This section of Caspar Creek is locally known and hereafter referred to as North Fork Caspar Creek. The inventory was conducted in two parts: habitat inventory and biological inventory. The objective of the habitat inventory was to document the habitat available to anadromous salmonids in North Fork Caspar Creek. The objective of the biological inventory was to document presence and distribution of juvenil...

A stream inventory was conducted during the summer of 1995 on an unnamed tributary of Caspar Creek, locally known and hereafter referred to as South Fork Caspar Creek. The inventory was conducted in two parts: habitat inventory and biological inventory. The objective of the habitat inventory was to document the habitat available to anadromous salmonids in South Fork Caspar Creek. The objective of the biological inventory was to document the presence and distribution of juvenile salmonid species. Spawner surveys have been conducted on South Fork Caspar Creek. Spawning survey results are availab...

A stream inventory was conducted during the summer of 1995 on an unnamed tributary of Caspar Creek locally known and hereafter referred to as Middle Fork Caspar Creek. The inventory was conducted in two parts: habitat inventory and biological inventory. The objective of the habitat inventory was to document the habitat available to anadromous salmonids in Middle Fork Caspar Creek. The objective of the biological inventory was to document the presence and distribution of juvenile salmonid species. There is no known record of adult spawning surveys having been conducted on Middle Fork Caspar Cre...

A stream inventory was conducted during the summer of 1995 on Caspar Creek, starting at the Highway 1 bridge and ending at the confluence with the unnamed tributary designated locally as South Fork Caspar Creek. The inventory was conducted in two parts: habitat inventory and biological inventory. The objective of the habitat inventory was to document the habitat available to anadromous salmonids in Caspar Creek. The objective of the biological inventory was to document the presence and distribution of juvenile salmonid species. Adult spawning surveys, juvenile index reach surveys, and juvenile...

The Doll Basin Research Natural Area contains an excellent representation of the mixed conifer type for the North Coast Range Physiographic Province. The variation in dominance of the typical canopy species from ponderosa pine and black oak on the drier slopes to white fir and incense cedar on the northerly-facing slopes is indicative of the representative nature of the mixed conifer forests of the area. The additional relatively large areas of Douglas-fir and white fir-dominated forest on lower and upper slopes (respectively) enable the area to serve as a thorough representation of the mixed ...

The Hale Ridge Research Natural Area (HRRNA) is characterized by the presence of knobcone pine with transitions to mixed conifer forest, dominated by Douglas-fir, to the north and relatively diverse mixed chaparral, with transition to chamise chaparral, on the drier south-facing slopes. The entire RNA is also within a late successional reserve (RC313) to provide and protect habitat for northern spotted owl and other late successional forest dependent species. Graywacke sandstone and shales of the Franciscan Assemblage form the underlying geologic foundation of the HRRNA, with soils consisting ...

Overlooking the perennial Thomes Creek, on the north slope of Log Springs Ridge, the Devil's Basin Research Natural Area (DBRNA) covers an area of 671 acres (272 hectares) and is centered around a large flat on the toe of an old land failure. The area features a diverse mixture of vegetation types, including: black oak woodland, Coast Range mixed conifer forest, blue oak woodland, canyon live oak forest, and northern mixed chaparral. Within the DBRNA, California black oak can be found in a continuum of stages, from a large, persistent sub-climax stand to non-persistent seral stands of black oa...

This set of two maps, prepared for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection under the Pilot Monitoring Program, is intended to provide information of geology and geomorphic features of the watersheds of North and South Caspar Creek. The mapping for these areas was done at a scale of 1:12,000. Mapping was based on aerial photograph interpretation, compilation of unpublished data, and limited field reconnaissance. The maps depict significant geologic and geomorphic features of the watersheds including transitional/rotational landslides, debris slides, debris flow/torrent tracks,...

The Bell Meadow Research Natural Area is distinguished by its well-developed aspen forest, riparian thickets, and wet and dry meadow vegetation. It is underlain primarily by granitic rock and riverine and lacustrine alluvium, with a small amount of Pliocene volcanics in the northeast portion. The meadow is a product of repeated overbank flood deposition separated by non-flood periods of organic accumulation. The meadow may be divided into an upper and lower part, separated by a narrows bordered on each side by granitic outcrops. The present meadow vegetation is a mosaic of riparian willow thic...

The majority of the Grizzly Mountain Research Natural Area (GMRNA) is underlain by mesozoic granitic rock of the Sierra Nevada Batholith, with some metamorphics and gneissic intergrades between the metamorphic and granitic rock. The GMRNA lies entirely on the northern slopes of Big and Little Grizzly Mountains. These two mountains are separated by a small canyon (Paps Gulch) with a small stream that is permanent near its confluence with Bull Creek. All slopes within the area are part of the Bull Creek drainage. Prior to the 1987 fire, a nearly continuous stand of relatively young black oak str...