Oak management in California

Abstract

Native oak species grow on 15 to 20 million acres (6 to 8 million ha) of California land, and have an estimated net volume of about 3 billion ft³ (85 million m³). This resource, valuable not only for traditional wood products, but also for wildlife habitat, watershed protection, and recreational-esthetic values, is not effectively managed, partly because of a lack of silvicultural and other management knowledge. Some helpful information is available. Viable acorns of scrub oak (Quercus dumosa Nutt.) can be picked 1 1/2 to 2 months before normal maturity, and after proper drying, can be stored for at least 1 year at 3 to 4° C. Mixed stands of California black oak (Q. kelloggii Newb.), tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus [Hook. & Am.] Rehd.), and madrone (Arbutus menziesii Pursh) increased growth when thinned to 102 to 125 ft² of basal area (23 to 29 m²/ha). But, thinning sprouts of individual California black oak stumps did not enhance growth of the remaining sprouts. Fire can be a management tool for some species, such as coast live oak, Q. agrifolia Née, which is fire tolerant.

Citation

Plumb. Timothy R.; McDonald, Philip M. 1981. Oak management in California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-54. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 12 p.