Third
Progress Report
July 1989 - June 1990
University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
College of Natural Resources, Berkeley
Department of Forestry & Resource Management
State of California
Resources Agency
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
December 1990
PROGRAM OVERVIEW The Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program (IHRMP) completed its fourth year of operation on June 30,1986. The program has had a major impact in increasing the awareness of Californians about the importance of the state’s hardwood range resource, and in developing the information base about current trends impacting these lands. Management practices on hardwood rangelands have incorporated the new information developed by the IHRMP to help conserve this important resource. The IHRMP has been an excellent model of coordination between various state agencies. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the University of California have played perhaps the major roles in the program to date. Some of the particular accomplishments of each of these organizations are listed below. During the past year, the California State Legislature declared 1990 the "Year of the Oak" by passing Senate Concurrent Resolution 60. This designation has had a major impact in garnering public attention. A number of newspapers in both large metropolitan and small rural areas have featured articles on oak conservation as a result of this designation, and a large number of community events emphasizing oak planting and oak conservation because of this "Year of the Oak" designation have been held. This myriad of activities has served to increase the visibility of the IHRMP, and has facilitated the ripple effect of expanding the educational outreach. The California Oak Foundation is one major group that has been a good source of coordination, especially in urban education programs. Another important legislative action this year is the passing of Senate Concurrent Resolution 17. This asks all state agencies with land use planning responsibilities to identify how their activities impact oaks. They are to identify mitigation measures and develop plans to address hardwood rangeland conservation in their activities. These plans are due to be received next year, and the Resource Agency’s Range Management Advisory Committee will have responsibility for reviewing these plans. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection The California Board of Forestry is responsible for establishing policies to protect and enhance California’s state and privately owned forests and rangelands. To carry out these responsibilities, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) administers a variety of programs including wildland fire control and prevention, regulation of timber harvest on commercial timberlands, and a number of landowner assistance programs for resource enhancement of forests and rangelands. In 1987 the Board of Forestry declared its responsibility for the State’s hardwood range resources and asked CDF to take a lead in implementing an array of non-regulatory programs to promote hardwood range conservation in cooperation with the University’s part of the Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program. In response to this directive, CDF assumed the role of coordinating interagency participation by CDF, UC, Department of Fish and Game, and the Range Management Advisory Committee. This coordination is done through the Forest Improvement Program at CDF’s Sacramento headquarters. Furthermore, CDF established an extensive hardwood range research program and a geographic information system for synthesizing and analyzing data and information through its Forest and Rangeland Resources Assessment Program, also based in Sacramento. CDF has also assumed responsibility for monitoring the availability and condition of hardwood range resources throughout the state. At the field level, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection administers its program responsibilities through four regional offices and 22 ranger units. In the field, the responsibilities of CDF foresters include working with landowners, local governments, and other groups or individuals on natural resource concerns. Field activities related to hardwood range program objectives have included assistance on hardwood utilization, management, protection, and restoration questions; participation in workshops, conferences, and other local educational events; input into local planning efforts; participation in local networking efforts; and data collection for short-term monitoring projects. CDF also has a nursery program, including nurseries in Magalia, Davis, and Ben Lomond, which is involved in oak regeneration and seedling cultivation research, and provides seedlings for sale to the public. The University of California The basic organization of the University of California’s part of the IHRMP remains unchanged since last year. The IHRMP is a priority program within the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, as shown by its designation as one of twenty-one special projects within the Division. Management of the statewide IHRMP is carried out by the College of Natural Resource at the Berkeley Campus. There are six regional-based hardwood range specialists, who are formal academic members of Berkeley’s Department of Forestry and Resource Management. These specialists are housed in locations throughout the state, and are responsible for development of educational programs for a variety of clientele by working closely with Cooperative Extension farm advisors, and also for developing applied research programs to address local problems of concern. The names and addresses of the specialists are shown to the right. The Hardwood Workgroup is an internal coordinating group of eighty members within UC composed of faculty and Cooperative Extension specialists from three campuses, and farm advisors from twenty-one different counties. The widespread interest in the IHRMP within UC is evidenced by the excellent participation in the Hardwood Workgroup. UC’s role in the research portion of the IHRMP has been to fund research studies requiring more than one year to complete, while CDF funds projects of one year or less. The second major round of research funding by UC resulted in the award of $205,000 to 11 projects in July 1989. Five projects were entirely new, two had been previously funded, and four projects were modifications or extensions of existing projects. As in the original awards of research funds in 1986, the largest number of projects (8) either directly or indirectly emphasize the regeneration program objective. The IHRMP Policy Advisory Committee suggested that the 1989 UC funding emphasize genetics, long-term changes in vegetation, nutrient cycling, and the effects of urbanization on wildlife. Much of the work in development and demonstration of management alternatives has been assumed by the hardwood specialists. All funded research projects submitted annual reports of progress on April 15,1990. Three projects were completed in July 1990, with final reports due August 1990. The annual and final reports form the basis for this summary of research progress shown in the sections below. As a result of UC-funded IHRMP research, artificial regeneration of important oaks is now practical. Progress has been slower in understanding natural regeneration, and work continues, but the process is now known well enough that prescriptions for enhancing natural regeneration are being tested in practice as a part of normal management. The use of hardwood range by wildlife is now better known and studies are underway which will develop accurate prescriptions for management to protect wildlife from urbanization. Basic projects include studies of oak genetics necessary for development of a conservation strategy, studies of nutrient cycling, and long-term changes in vegetation. The research program has stimulated and supported a vigorous demonstration program and has now shifted from solving critical immediate problems towards more basic long-term research and demonstrations. This emphasis will continue in the next round of research competition, expected to result in awards in July 1991. Research, Education and Monitoring Accomplishments The IHRMP is focused on five major goals. These are: 1) Improvement of oak regeneration; 2) Maintenance of wildlife habitat diversity; 3) Analysis of the consequences of conversion of hardwood rangelands; 4) Development of alternative management strategies for hardwood range owners; and 5) Monitoring of the status of hardwood rangelands. For a complete description of each of these major goals, refer to the first and second Progress Reports. Shown below are some of the specific accomplishments of the competitive grants research program administered by UC and CDF, as well as some of the results of education, applied research, and monitoring carried out by UC and CDF staff. UC IHRMP Specialists
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