Postfire restoration framework for national forests in California

Abstract

Increasing frequency and extent of high-severity wildfires pose a significant threat to California’s ecosystems. This is evident in both tree- and shrub-dominated landscapes, where novel, human-driven fire regimes may result in large-scale alteration of terrestrial ecosystems and decline in the services they provide. Based on these trends and a broader consideration of sustainability, there is a growing need for a well-supported, science-based approach to postfire management. This report presents a framework to guide the development of postfire restoration on national forests in California. The framework is founded on a set of guiding principles and a five-step process that leads to the development of a restoration portfolio that can inform project planning and monitoring. We discuss the application of this approach to California’s forest, chaparral, and sagebrush-steppe ecosystems. The restoration framework can inform future postfire management, monitoring, and research in California’s diverse ecosystems.

Titles contained within Postfire restoration framework for national forests in California

• Principles of postfire restoration
• Postfire restoration framework
• Data gathering and analysis
• Mixed-conifer forest case study
• California chaparral case study
• Sagebrush steppe case study
• Key lessons and caveats
• Reforestation tool for tree mortality landscapes

Citation

Meyer, M.D.; Long, J.W.; Safford, H.D., eds. 2021. Postfire restoration framework for national forests in California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-270. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 204 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/PSW-GTR-270.