ABOVE: Oaks are an important part of California’s landscape, providing a wide variety of public and private benefits. Until recently, most people took their existence for granted and assumed they could be maintained in perpetuity. (Click on image for larger view.)

• There appears to be a problem with natural regeneration of certain oak species;
  
• Losses of 1.2 million acres of hardwood rangelands occurred over a 30 year period;
  
• Recent trends in livestock prices and production costs have resulted in low profitability of the range livestock operation, the predominant land use of hardwood rangelands;
  
• Subdivision pressure is currently the main pressure on hardwoods in the state;
  
• The hardwood range resource may not be self-sustaining in some areas.
  
  

For the past five years, the University of California (UC) and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) have undertaken an aggressive program of research, education and monitoring to address these concerns and to ensure that conservation mechanisms to sustain oaks on rangelands are adopted. This report will describe the five year results of this program, known as the Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program (IHRMP).


Need for a Research and Education Effort
In 1984 the State Board of Forestry asked the University of California to develop a program of research and education responsive to the policy issues being raised about hardwoods. Although the University had considerable experience with working on rangelands, much of the previous work, especially in applied research and extension, focused on clearing oaks for range improvement.

This was an exciting opportunity to attempt to develop a responsive, action-oriented program directed to a specific high priority area in state. Extension’s new mission statement, “…Develop, extend, and bring about through educational means, the use of research-based information…”, increased its role as an active participant in bringing about the adoption of research-based information. This new emphasis fit in well with the kinds of issues facing California’s hardwood rangelands. The thrust of the program would be to provide guidance/information for changing land use planning and management needs in the state, rather than simply generating information and recording attendance at educational meetings.


Elements of A Successful Information and Education Program
The following key elements need to be in place for an education program to be successful:

1. Information on the status of the problem;
2. Basic knowledge to apply to the problem; and
3. A feedback mechanism to measure and adjust research and educational approaches.
   
   

Baseline Information
One of the first efforts in the development of the IHRMP was to collect and evaluate baseline surveys on the social and biological aspects of the issue. These surveys provide the basis upon which program results could be measured and compared. Shown below are several sociological studies that helped generate this information.

1. McClaran and Bartolome (1985) — Survey of Tulare County ranchers to determine their attitudes on oaks on their ranch;
2. Pillsbury, Oxford (1987) — A survey of county planners to determine the consideration of oaks in county planning;
3. Calaveras Survey (LeBlanc et al, 1989) — Comparison of oak management attitudes between local landowners and the general public, and current management practices of landowners;
4. Huntsinger, Fortmann (1990) — Demographics and management practices of hardwood range landowners;
5. Whittington, Tietje (1992) — Survey of municipal oak planning efforts;
6. Passof (internal report) — A survey of ranchette owners to determine management practices and demographics;
7. Wright/Wester (internal report) — A survey of County Extension networks used in oak extension activities;
8. Day (internal report) — A survey of urban citizens to determine their attitudes about oaks.
   
   

In addition, CDF, working with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and the Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, began developing baseline biological data on the hardwood range resource to determine long-term trends and changes taking place.

Knowledge to Apply
In order to develop an educational program, there first has to be basic research knowledge available. Without this, the education phase would have to wait for three to eight years to extend for preliminary research results. However, a survey of oak research carried out by the Wildlands Resources Center, showed 113 different research studies conducted on hardwood rangelands from 1953 through 1985, and almost 26 scientist and professional years working on hardwood range research in 1985 (Muick and Bartolome, 1985).

One of the first educational efforts synthesized this research data into a useful handbook for large landowners seeking multiple use management and oak conservation on privately owned hardwood rangelands (Passof et al, 1985). This audience and methodology were employed because overcutting of oaks for firewood and range improvement was seen early on as one of the major issues impacting hardwood range management.

Mechanism to Measure Results
We conducted a survey of all persons who bought the “Preliminary Guidelines” to help determine its impact on hardwood range management, and to suggest improvements for future revisions. Some of the key findings of this survey were:

Oak Seedlings Given Away During Earth Day Celebrations The 25th Anniversary of Earth Day was celebrated on Sunday, April 22, 1990. This event was commemorated with numerous local environmental fairs, workshops, symposia and festivals. At many of these events, there were tree planting ceremonies or seedlings give-aways. For many people, planting a tree became both a symbolic and concrete gesture of efforts to renew our natural resources and restore the Earth’s environment. In Nevada County, the Earth Day Celebration was held in a state park along the banks of the Yuba River. In this oak woodland setting, the IHRMP set up a booth to give away oak seedlings. During the day approximately 300 small trees were distributed. Accompanying each seedling was a brochure describing why oak trees are important and how to plant, maintain and protect them. During a special ceremony, several seedlings were also planted along a trail bordering the river. At this and other times we’ve given away oak seedlings, it’s become obvious that the public in California has a tremendous interest in, and reverence for, our majestic native oaks. Such attitudes will help ensure that efforts to conserve this resource for future generations will succeed.

1. Newspapers and Extension newsletters were the most successful marketing vehicles;
2. The demographic characteristics of the purchasers fit the "early adopters" profile;
3. Purchasers of the "Guidelines" had more oaks, and smaller property size than the "average" owner determined in previous surveys
4. Landowners plan to:
   Maintain fixed oak overstory stocking levels,
   Protect young oak sprouts,
   Select and protect good acorn trees,
   Begin to develop management plans.
   
   

Development of the Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program
With a commitment to a responsive program of research and education directed to policy issues of importance to the state, a proposal for a 10-year long IHRMP was developed (Passof and Bartolome, 1985). This program allocated $650,000 in funding for UC and $350,000 for CDF and became part of the State’s budget for FY 1986-87.

The overall mission of the IHRMP was:
"To maintain and where possible, increase the acreage of California’s hardwood range resource to provide wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, wood and livestock products, high quality water supply, and aesthetic value."

Five major objectives were developed to guide UC and CDF program activities.

1. Improve oak regeneration,
   
2. Maintain wildlife habitat diversity,
   
3. Show the consequences of conversion of hardwood rangelands,
   
4. Develop alternative management strategies for hardwood range owners, and
   
5. Monitor the conditions, status, and use of hardwood rangelands.
   
   

For each objective, several specific goals were established. These were detailed in previous IHRMP progress reports.

In February 1987, the State Board of Forestry passed a hardwood resolution; the three key elements were education, research, and monitoring. The resolution chose not to regulate oak cutting at that time under the Forest Practices Act. Instead, the Board wanted to observe whether education could provide an adequate level of voluntary conservation by landowners, and whether local planning would provide adequate consideration of oak conservation issues.