Wildfire and Oak Regeneration at the Urban Fringe

Abstract

In July 1992, wildfire burned 500 acres of rural lands owned by Stanford University. Within the fire zone are five plots, ranging in size from 0.1 acre to more than 1 acre, on which nearly 600 naturally established juvenile California oaks (Q. agrifolia, Q. douglasii, and Q. lobata) have been monitored since 1990. Surveys following the fire revealed that although 32 percent of the oaks up to 10 inches tall died, only 9 percent of the oaks taller than 10 inches died. Twenty-two percent of all juvenile oaks were topkilled, but 22 percent of those resprouted in years following the fire.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of a symposium on oak woodlands: ecology, management, and urban interface issues; 19–22 March 1996; San Luis Obispo, CA

Citation

Schwan, Joan L.; Fong, Herb; Hug, Hilary K. 1997. Wildfire and Oak Regeneration at the Urban Fringe. In: Pillsbury, Norman H.; Verner, Jared; Tietje, William D., technical coordinators. 1997. Proceedings of a symposium on oak woodlands: ecology, management, and urban interface issues; 19–22 March 1996; San Luis Obispo, CA. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-160. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; p. 559-566