$5.00 (Free to Members) VOL. 42, NO. 3 • SEPTEMBER 2014 FREMONTIA JOURNAL OF THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY DUDLEYASDUDLEYAS BURNEDBURNED LANDSCAPESLANDSCAPES ININ THETHE SIERRASIERRA NEVADANEVADA FORESTFOREST RESILIENCERESILIENCE FOLLOWINGFOLLOWING WILDFIREWILDFIRE VOL. 42, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 2014 FREMONTIA CARECARE OFOF NATIVENATIVE OAKSOAKS V42.3_cover.final.pmd 1 8/13/14, 12:19 PM CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY CNPS, 2707 K Street, Suite 1; Sacramento, CA 95816-5130 FREMONTIA Phone: (916) 447-CNPS (2677) Fax: (916) 447-2727 Web site: www.cnps.org Email: [email protected] VOL. 42, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 2014 MEMBERSHIP Copyright © 2014 Membership form located on inside back cover; California Native Plant Society dues include subscriptions to Fremontia and the CNPS Bulletin Mariposa Lily . $1,500 Family or Group . $75 Bob Hass, Editor Benefactor . $600 International or Library . $75 Patron . $300 Individual . $45 Beth Hansen-Winter, Designer Plant Lover . $100 Student/Retired/Limited Income . $25 Ileene Anderson, Brad Jenkins, and Mary Ann Showers, Proofreaders CORPORATE/ORGANIZATIONAL 10+ Employees . $2,500 4-6 Employees . $500 7-10 Employees . $1,000 1-3 Employees . $150 CALIFORNIA NATIVE STAFF – SACRAMENTO CHAPTER COUNCIL PLANT SOCIETY Executive Director: Dan Gluesenkamp David Magney (Chair); Larry Levine Finance and Administration (Vice Chair); Marty Foltyn (Secretary) Dedicated to the Preservation of Manager: Cari Porter Membership and Development Alta Peak (Tulare): Joan Stewart the California Native Flora Coordinator: Stacey Flowerdew Bristlecone (Inyo-Mono): The California Native Plant Society Communication Manager: Deidre Steve McLaughlin (CNPS) is a statewide nonprofit organi- Kennelly Channel Islands: David Magney zation dedicated to increasing the Conservation Program Director: Dorothy King Young (Mendocino/ Greg Suba Sonoma Coast): Nancy Morin understanding and appreciation of Rare Plant Botanist: Aaron Sims East Bay: Bill Hunt California’s native plants, and to pre- Vegetation Program Director: El Dorado: Sue Britting serving them and their natural habitats Julie Evens Kern County: Dorie Giragosian for future generations. Vegetation Ecologists: Los Angeles/Santa Monica Mtns: CNPS carries out its mission through Jennifer Buck-Diaz, Kendra Sikes Betsey Landis Education Program Director: science, conservation advocacy, educa- Marin County: Carolyn Longstreth tion, and horticulture at the local, state, Josie Crawford Horticulture Program Director: Milo Baker (Sonoma County): and federal levels. It monitors rare and Susan Krzywicki Lisa Giambastiani endangered plants and habitats; acts to Administrative Asst: Shanna Goebel Mojave Desert: Tim Thomas save endangered areas through public- Events Coordinator: Becky Reilly Monterey Bay: Brian LeNeve ity, persuasion, and on occasion, legal Mount Lassen: Catie Bishop STAFF – AT LARGE action; provides expert testimony to Napa Valley: Gerald Tomboc Fremontia and CNPS Bulletin Editor: government bodies; supports the estab- North Coast: Larry Levine Bob Hass North San Joaquin: Alan Miller lishment of native plant preserves; spon- Legislative Consultant: sors workdays to remove invasive plants; Vern Goehring Orange County: Nancy Heuler and offers a range of educational activi- East Bay Conservation Analyst: Redbud (Grass Valley/Auburn): ties including speaker programs, field Mack Casterman Joan Jernegan trips, native plant sales, horticultural Development Consultant: Riverside/San Bernardino: Katie Barrows workshops, and demonstration gardens. Sandy McCoy Website Coordinator: Mark Naftzger Sacramento Valley: Glen Holstein Since its founding in 1965, the tradi- PROGRAM ADVISORS San Diego: David Varner tional strength of CNPS has been its San Gabriel Mountains: Orchid Black dedicated volunteers. CNPS activities Rare Plant Program Senior Advisor: Jim André San Luis Obispo: David Chipping are organized at the local chapter level Sanhedrin (Ukiah): Geri Hulse- where members’ varied interests influ- Vegetation Program Senior Advisor: Todd Keeler-Wolf Stephens ence what is done. Volunteers from the CNPS Press Director: Santa Clara Valley: Judy Fenerty 34 CNPS chapters annually contribute Nancy Morin Santa Cruz County: Deanna Giuliano in excess of 97,000 hours (equivalent Poster Program: Bertha McKinley, Sequoia (Fresno): Jeanne Larson to 46.5 full-time employees). Wilma Follett Shasta: Ken Kilborn CNPS membership is open to all. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sierra Foothills (Tuolome/Calaveras/ Members receive the journal Fremontia Mariposa): Robert Brown Laura Camp (President); David Bigham three times a year, the quarterly state- (Vice President); Carolyn Longstreth South Coast (Palos Verdes): wide CNPS Bulletin, and newsletters (Secretary); Nancy Morin (Treasurer); David Berman from their local CNPS chapter. At-Large: Kristie Haydu, Bill Hunt, Tahoe: Brett Hall Gordon Leppig, David Varner, Michael Willis L. Jepson (Solano): Vasey, Steve Windhager; Chapter Mary Frances Kelly-Poh Disclaimer: Council Representatives: Orchid Black, Yerba Buena (San Francisco): The views expressed by authors published Glen Holstein Ellen Edelson in this journal do not necessarily reflect established policy or procedure of CNPS, MATERIALS FOR PUBLICATION and their publication here should not be CNPS members and others are welcome to contribute materials for publication interpreted as an organizational endorse- in Fremontia. See the inside back cover for submission instructions. ment—in part or in whole—of their ideas, Staff and board listings are as of September 2014. statements, or opinions. Printed by Lithtex NW: www.lithtexnw.com FREMONTIA VOL. 42, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 2014 V42.3_cover.final.pmd 2 8/13/14, 12:19 PM CONTENTS THE RAPIDLY EVOLVING WORLD OF DUDLEYAS by Jeremy Spath .............. 2 Dudleya, a large genus in the Crassula family, contains species that are at once beautiful, diverse, and occasionally taxonomically baffling. They are also in need of a deserving revision. MANAGING BURNED LANDSCAPES IN THE SIERRA NEVADA: BACK TO THE FUTURE (SLOWLY) by Carolyn Longstreth ............. 7 Following severe and moderately severe fires in the Sierra Nevada, a unique and diverse plant community emerges that attracts abundant wildlife and enhances forest health. However, it is becoming increasingly rare due to fire suppression and post-fire logging. FOREST RESILIENCE FOLLOWING SEVERE WILDFIRE IN A SEMI-URBAN NATIONAL PARK by Brian J. Harvey, Barbara A. Holzman, and Alison B. Forrestel .................................................................................................. 14 Recent research tracks more than a decade of native vegetation resilience following severe wildfire in coastal California’s closed-cone pine forests. CARE OF NATIVE OAKS IN THE HOME LANDSCAPE by Barrie D. Coate ....19 Some practical guidelines from a California arborist for keeping native oaks healthy. NEW CNPS FELLOW: DAVID MAGNEY by Patt McDaniel ................................................................. 25 BOOK REVIEW by Steve Junak ................................................................................................................. 26 BERT WILSON: 1951–2014 by Greg Rubin ........................................................................................... 28 THE COVER: San Gabriel Mountains dudleya (Dudleya densiflora), currently only documented in two canyons of this mountain range. Photograph by Jeremy Spath. VOL. 42, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 2014 FREMONTIA 1 v42.3_book.final.pmd 1 8/13/14, 12:05 PM Perhaps the most sought after species in the genus is the incredibly colorful Cedros Island dudleya (Dudleya pachyphytum), which grows off the coast of central Baja California. A portion of another dudleya can also be seen at the bottom of the photo. There is some contention as to whether it is Dudleya sp. aff. albiflora, a form of D. linearis, or something else entirely. THE RAPIDLY EVOLVING WORLD OF DUDLEYAS by Jeremy Spath udleya, a charismatic genus ter must be one of the smaller suc- HISTORY of succulents, includes culents in the world. This genus can some of the most fascinat- be highly variable and the plants Before the genus Dudleya was ing native California plants. hybridize quite freely, suggesting created, the plants we now group DYet despite their charms they are that perhaps the group is evolving under that name were included in somewhat overlooked by native rapidly. This makes their taxonomic other genera. The first three to be plant enthusiasts and horticultur- classification very difficult, with the described scientifically were Coty- ists. However, the genus contains biggest issue being the intergrading ledon caespitosa, Sedum cotyledon, many taxa that are considered gems of species or gradual merging of and Echeveria pulverulenta, all from in the succulent world and are highly physical characteristics through a coastal California. The first and last sought after by collectors for their series of intermediate stages (Thiede of these have retained their species beauty and rarity. 2004). names in Dudleya, while the middle The diversity of this relatively When doing fieldwork with one is now considered a synonym small group of plants is astounding, dudleyas, I am constantly reminded of Dudleya caespitosa. The genus ranging from single rosettes the size that what I am viewing is a snapshot Dudleya was established by bota- of dinner plates such as Britton’s in evolution. Being a student of these nists Nathaniel Lord Britton and dudleya (Dudleya brittonii), to mi- intriguing plants can be confound- Joseph