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    Resilience of An Urban Coastal Sage Scrub Remnant To Wildfire Fuel Modification

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    uclasagehill
    1. A remnant patch of coastal sage scrub on the UCLA campus that was cleared and planted with non-native species in 1962-1964 to test fuel modification has now recovered as a mix of non-native weeds and native coastal sage scrub species. 2. Most (89%) of the species originally planted for fuel modification were lost from the site by 2006, with the remaining species being the most aggressive weeds. 3. The current vegetation only partially resembles unmanipulated coastal sage scrub and has higher non-native grass and weed cover than the reference sites, indicating isolation and urbanization limit native recolonization.

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    Resilience of An Urban Coastal Sage Scrub Remnant To Wildfire Fuel Modification

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    uclasagehill
    110 views35 pages
    1. A remnant patch of coastal sage scrub on the UCLA campus that was cleared and planted with non-native species in 1962-1964 to test fuel modification has now recovered as a mix of non-native weeds and native coastal sage scrub species. 2. Most (89%) of the species originally planted for fuel modification were lost from the site by 2006, with the remaining species being the most aggressive weeds. 3. The current vegetation only partially resembles unmanipulated coastal sage scrub and has higher non-native grass and weed cover than the reference sites, indicating isolation and urbanization limit native recolonization.

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    MEDECOS_ScrubPatchs

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    1. A remnant patch of coastal sage scrub on the UCLA campus that was cleared and planted with non-native species in 1962-1964 to test fuel modification has now recovered as a mix of non-native weeds and native coastal sage scrub species. 2. Most (89%) of the species originally planted for fuel modification were lost from the site by 2006, with the remaining species being the most aggressive weeds. 3. The current vegetation only partially resembles unmanipulated coastal sage scrub and has higher non-native grass and weed cover than the reference sites, indicating isolation and urbanization limit native recolonization.

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    110 views35 pages

    Resilience of An Urban Coastal Sage Scrub Remnant To Wildfire Fuel Modification

    Uploaded by

    uclasagehill
    1. A remnant patch of coastal sage scrub on the UCLA campus that was cleared and planted with non-native species in 1962-1964 to test fuel modification has now recovered as a mix of non-native weeds and native coastal sage scrub species. 2. Most (89%) of the species originally planted for fuel modification were lost from the site by 2006, with the remaining species being the most aggressive weeds. 3. The current vegetation only partially resembles unmanipulated coastal sage scrub and has higher non-native grass and weed cover than the reference sites, indicating isolation and urbanization limit native recolonization.

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    of 35

    Resilience of an urban coastal sage scrub remnant to wildfire fuel modification

    Sean S. Anderson (CSU Channel Islands) John G. Lambrinos (OSU) Thomas R. Huggins (UCLA) Barry A. Prigge (UCLA) Greg R. Schrott (Archbold Bio Station) John C. Malone (Anchor QEA)

    2003

    fire image: NASA

    coastal sage scrub

    managing fire risk in costal So Cal

    representative css development

    Can we convert css to a less fire-prone assemblage buffering our SoCal urban areas?

    coastal sage scrub


    soft chaparral: soft, drought-deciduous leaves

    Artemisia californica California sagebrush

    Salvia leucophylla purple sage

    coastal sage scrub

    soft chaparral: soft, drought-deciduous leaves

    Artemisia californica California sagebrush

    ! !
    Salvia leucophylla purple sage

    Lolium multiflorum Italian ryegrass

    Trifolium repens white clover

    candidate species
    less fire prone, easy to grow, prostrate

    1965: the brave new world of fire-minimizing landscaping

    Remnant patch of coastal sage scrub on the UCLA campus intact as of 1959

    fuel modification exp

    Patch cleared of native vegetation & planted with non-natives in 1962-64

    fuel modification exp

    vegetation: 1964
    active maintenance of exp. treatments (irrigation, fertilizer, herbicide) ceased in 1964

    vegetation: 2011
    vegetation has now recovered as a mix of non-native weeds & native css spp.

    methods
    1) RELOCATE 2 ac plot on the UCLA campus 2) SAMPLE VEGETATION 3) ANALYZE
    May 2000 & 2006 surveys 8 x 20m transects parallel to the 45 NW facing slope compared modern UCLA plot with

    a) 1962 experimental planting records = spp. list b) 1975 survey of the site (Westman 1976) = pres/absence c) 2006 reference coastal sage scrub in nearby Thousand Oaks unburned for >20 years = % cover (ANOVA)

    UCLA plot
    May 2006

    reference site
    May 2006

    initially non-native dominated, now non-native = native

    richness

    Species richness

    100 80 60 40 20 0 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Planted 1962 New recruits

    fuel management spp. steadily !, now few remain

    richness

    Year

    grasses

    Bromus tectorum Bromus diandrus Bromus madritensis rubens Festuca megalura Lolium multiflorum Melica imperfecta Nassella lepida Nassella pulchra Phalaris aquatica Piptatherum miliaceum planted in 1962 planted in 1962 planted in 1962

    also in ref

    UCLA plot species

    herbs

    Brassica nigra Gnaphalium sp. Lactuca serriola Lantana montevidensis Marah macrocarpus Passiflora caerulea Verbena lasiostachys Vicia villosa var. varia planted in 1962 also in ref

    only 5 of 47 spp. planted in 1962 persist

    non-native in pink

    shrubs

    Artemesia californica Baccharis pilularis Malosma laurina Mimulus aurantiacus Opuntia sp. Rhamnus californica Salvia mellifera Solanum xanti planted in 1962

    also in ref also in ref also in ref

    UCLA plot species

    only 5 of 47 spp. planted in 1962 persist

    non-native in pink

    35

    Srensens CC
    Srensens = 200*c /(a+b) a = # of spp. in reference b = # of spp. in UCLA plot c = # of spp. in common

    Srensens CC

    30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

    Year

    35

    Srensens CC

    Srensens CC

    30 25 20 15 10 5

    note: used a different ref plot

    Srensens = 200*c /(a+b) a = # of spp. in reference b = # of spp. in UCLA plot c = # of spp. in common

    0 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

    Year

    35

    Srensens CC
    Srensens = 200*c /(a+b) a = # of spp. in reference b = # of spp. in UCLA plot c = # of spp. in common

    Srensens CC

    30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

    Year

    100 100

    % cover

    % Cover

    80 80 60 60

    Reference UCLA

    40 40
    20 20

    p = 0.002
    df = 1,14

    18x more non-native than native

    Non-native Native
    bars: mean 1se

    100 100

    % cover

    % Cover

    80 60 40 20
    0

    Reference UCLA

    p < 0.001
    df = 1,14

    59x more grass than reference

    Shrub Grass Herb


    bars: mean 1se

    100 100

    % cover

    UCLA veg 1.4x reference

    % Cover

    80 80 60 60

    Reference UCLA

    40 40
    20 20

    0 Bare Dead Plant Ground Shrub Cover


    bars: mean 1se

    UCLA plot
    May 2006

    reference site
    May 2006

    conclusions
    1.Most (89%) species planted for fuel modification in 1962 have been lost from the site. Those that remained are the most aggressive weedy spp. This suggests intensive maintenance (irrigation, weeding, fertilization, re-planting) is needed to sustain buffers.

    conclusions
    2.Current site floristics only partially resembles un-manipulated coastal sage scrub. Isolation of fragmented buffers (the norm in SoCal) may limit re-colonization by natives. In addition, the urbanized location of most such buffers contribute to high propagule pressure of nonnative species.

    conclusions
    3.Shrubs & non-native grasses in un-maintained buffers " fuel loads relative to un-manipulated css, " fire risk to areas at the urban-scrub interface. Buffers may also facilitate the spread of non-native species into wildlands.

    conclusions
    4.Given the costs associated with maintenance, risks of invasive species spread, and risks of ultimately increasing fuel loads, further research is needed to improve buffer design and to determine if such landscape management tools are a responsible use of scare resources.

    management suggestions
    1. Stop building $#@! in css communities. 2. As we clearly have failed to demonstrate an ability to perpetually manage a fire management buffer, we should not be encouraging them at this point in time.

    Stay in touch
    Sean Anderson
    ESRM Program CSU Channel Islands

    (805) 732-2732 sean.anderson@csuci.edu


    http://faculty.csuci.edu/sean.anderson/

    fuel modification: preferred species

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