Oaks ’n’ Folks – Volume 6, Issue 3 – December 1991 The recent fires in the Oakland and Berkeley hills that claimed several thousand homes and caused several billion dollars in property damage, occurred partly in oak woodlands dominated by
Read full articleThreats
Woodland Fires
As the population of California continues to increase, the threat of wildfires also increases. This is because most wildfires are started by humans. It is also generally accepted that the threat of catastrophic fires is higher today than it has ever been.
Read full articleSudden Oak Death (SOD)
Sudden Oak Death, or SOD, was first observed in California in 1995. In 2000 UC researchers identified the causal agent as Phytophthora ramorum, a pest new to science that had never been identified before. UC provided initial seed money to assist in
Read full articleGold Spotted Oak Borer
The Gold Spotted Oak Borer (GSOB) is a recently discovered insect that has been decimating some coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) and California black oak (Quercus kelloggii) stands in Southern California, so far exclusively in San Diego County.
Read full articleConifer Encroachment Resources
There are a number of useful references that address the ecological and policy aspects of the conifer encroachment issue. Several UCANR publications are also currently under development. Policy Valachovic, Y., Quinn-Davidson, L., and Standiford, R. Can the California Forest Practice Rules
Read full articleUCANR Research into Conifer Encroachment
A collaborative UC-led team in California’s North Coast has been conducting research on conifer encroachment for the last several years, and is just wrapping up a 3-year, ANR Competitive Grants-funded project. That project, Tools for a Changing Landscape, set out to better characterize
Read full articleConifer Encroachment
The loss of deciduous oak woodlands to native conifer encroachment is a major conservation concern in northwestern California and across much of the Pacific Northwest, resulting in associated losses of wildlife habitat, cultural uses, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services. These losses
Read full articleGoldspotted Oak Borer and Oak Woodland Workshops
Goldspotted oak borer workshops: Cause and extent of oak mortality and affected areas; identification and assessment; and management practices for oak woodland restoration and resiliency.
Read full article