Poster Sessions Concurrent Sessions Conference Proceedings Oak Symposium Home This paper was not included in the Symposium Proceedings.	Pre-Symposium Abstract of Paper Mapping and modeling the current and potential distribution of Valley oak in northern Santa Barbara, California Frank W. Davis and William Kuhn Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management; University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106; 805-893-3438; fd@bren.ucsb The distribution of Valley oak in Santa Barbara County has been reduced by habitat conversion and by population declines in remaining habitats. A conservation strategy for Valley oaks and associated woodland and savanna habitats would logically combine conservation of remaining populations and restoration of oak density and cover on degraded habitats. We compiled a spatial database on the current distribution and structure of remaining valley oak stands in mapped soil units of the upper San Antonio Creek watershed of northern Santa Barbara County. We then constructed a simple knowledge base or "expert system" to capture explicit and formal logic for measuring site potential for valley oak restoration. The knowledge base combines evidence on modern and historical mapped Valley oak distribution with information on site biophysical properties such as soil properties, distance from the coast, and predicted water table depth. The model is coupled to GIS software to produce maps of Valley oak restoration potential.
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