Natural Range of Variation in Hardwood
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Natural Range of Variation in Hardwood Vegetation In the Sierra Nevada, California Over the Holocene Epoch By Kyle Merriam, Sierra Cascade Province Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Region 5 Table of Contents Physical Setting and Geographic Distribution ................................................................................ 3 Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii) ..................................................................................................... 3 Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis) .................................................................................... 4 Interior Live Oak (Quercus wislizeni) ........................................................................................ 4 California Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii) .................................................................................. 5 Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana var. garryana) ................................................................. 6 Tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) ....................................................................................... 6 Ecological Setting ........................................................................................................................... 7 Differences among key hardwood species in the Sierra Nevada ............................................... 7 Wildlife Use and Biodiversity ..................................................................................................... 8 Rare and threatened species ........................................................................................................ 8 Cultural Socioeconomic Setting .................................................................................................... 9 NRV Composition ........................................................................................................................ 10 Indicators and Variables ............................................................................................................ 10 Species composition .................................................................................................................. 10 Compositional changes associated with succession ..................................................................11 Diversity .....................................................................................................................................11 Current Conditions and Comparison with NRV ................................................................... 12 Geographic Distribution ........................................................................................................... 12 Current Conditions and Comparison with NRV .................................................................... 13 Projected Future Trends ......................................................................................................... 13 1 NRV Stand Structure .................................................................................................................... 14 Indicators ................................................................................................................................... 14 Canopy cover, density and basal area ....................................................................................... 14 Current Conditions and Comparison with NRV .................................................................... 15 Projected Future Trends ........................................................................................................ 15 Age and size class distribution .................................................................................................. 16 Current Conditions and Comparison with NRV .................................................................... 16 Patch Size ................................................................................................................................. 17 Current Conditions and Comparison with NRV .................................................................... 18 Coarse woody debris, snag density, duff and litter depth .......................................................... 18 Current conditions and comparison with NRV period .......................................................... 19 NRV Function ............................................................................................................................... 20 Indicators and variables ............................................................................................................ 20 Climate/Drought ....................................................................................................................... 20 Projected Future Conditions .................................................................................................. 21 Fire 21 Blue Oak Woodland .............................................................................................................. 22 Canyon and Interior Live Oak .............................................................................................. 22 California black oak .............................................................................................................. 22 Oregon white oak ................................................................................................................... 23 Tanoak/mixed evergreen ........................................................................................................ 23 Native American Use of Fire ................................................................................................ 23 Current Conditions and Comparison with NRV .................................................................... 25 Fire suppression ..................................................................................................................... 25 Projected Future Trends ......................................................................................................... 26 Grazing ..................................................................................................................................... 26 NRV period grazing regimes and species .............................................................................. 26 Grazing utilization during the NRV period ........................................................................... 27 Current Conditions and Comparison with NRV ................................................................... 27 2 Succession ................................................................................................................................. 28 NRV 28 California black oak ............................................................................................................... 29 Oregon white oak ................................................................................................................... 29 Tanoak 29 Current Conditions and Comparison with NRV ................................................................... 30 Future 30 Soil properties and nutrient cycling .......................................................................................... 30 Current Conditions and Comparison with NRV .................................................................... 31 Insects/Disease ......................................................................................................................... 32 NRV 32 Current Conditions and Comparison with NRV ................................................................... 32 Invasive Species ........................................................................................................................ 33 Current Conditions and Comparison with NRV .................................................................... 33 Other Disturbance Processes ..................................................................................................... 34 Indicators ............................................................................................................................... 34 NRV 34 Current Conditions and Comparison with NRV .................................................................... 34 Projected Future Trends ......................................................................................................... 34 Summary of NRV Findings and Deviations ................................................................................. 35 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................................ 39 Tables ............................................................................................................................................ 49 Figures........................................................................................................................................... 56 3 PHYSICAL SETTING AND GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION Hardwood vegetation in the assessment area occurs across a range of habitats and environments, including blue oak (Quercus douglasii) woodlands and savannahs in the lower elevations foot- hills, canyon live oak (Quercus chrysolepis) and interior live oak (Quercus wislizeni) growing on steep canyon slopes between foothill and higher elevation montane habitats, California black oak (Quercus kelloggii) and Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana var. garryana) growing in association with conifers such as ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) at higher elevations in lower montane