Ryegrasses for Southern California Fuel-Breaks

George C. Edmunson; Donald R. Cornelius

Treesearch

Ryegrasses for Southern California Fuel-Breaks

Informally Refereed

Authors:

George C. Edmunson, Donald R. Cornelius

Year:

1961

Type:

Research Note

Station:

Pacific Southwest Research Station

Source:

Res. Note PSW-RN-186. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 6 p.

Download (PDF 6.00 MB)

Download (PDF 6.00 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/68857.pdf

Abstract

Fuel-breaks in southern California are wide strips cleared of heavy brush to break extensive brushfields into manageable units. The breaks also provide open areas from which men can safely and effectively fight fires. Permanent revegetation of these cleared areas with a cover of light fuel is necessary to protect the soil. Perennial grasses are best for this purpose where they are adopted, but annuals such as ryegrass have a place on some areas. Commercial annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), often seeded in the past on burned areas to provide temporary cover while brush is growing, does not provide a suitable permanent cover under southern California conditions. Several other strains of annual ryegrass have been studied for character of growth and persistence. This report describes the results of the first two years of study.

Keywords

fuel break

Citation

Edmunson, George C.; Cornelius, Donald R. 1961. Ryegrasses for Southern California Fuel-Breaks. Res. Note PSW-RN-186. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 6 p.