Fire Ecology of California's Coast Ranges
Fire Ecology of California's Coast Ranges
A lecture presented by Dr. Jon Keeley, Research Ecologist - US Geological Survey, Sequoia-Kings Canyon; Adjunct Professor - Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles
Saturday, August 2, 2008 - 5:30-7:00 pm lecture & discussion, 7:00-8:15 pm mini-field trip (Field trip is optional and tentative, depending on enrollment. If you wish to go on the mini-field trip, please let us know in advance, and bring a water bottle and wear sun hat and sturdy shoes)
We always hear that many of California's plant communities are "fire prone" or "fire dependent". We also hear that fire suppression has resulted in bigger and hotter fires than those which occurred prior to the 20th century. But are these statements true, and if so what does this really mean? California, let alone the Lake County region, has many different plant communities, and how they and their component species respond to fire might be highly variable. How can we understand what the natural fire cycle of plant communities is? And what should we expect when a fire occurs, and in the years following a fire? Are some plant communities more likely than others to burn frequently, and can or should any be managed to reduce frequency and intensity of burning? And what about the rash of very large "megafires" that California has experienced in the last decade? This talk will help answer some of these questions, and sort out the relative roles of past land management pract!
ices and climate in the recent rash of unusually large fires.
Dr. Jon Keeley has been studying the ecology and management of fire for 37 years. His work has concentrated on understanding how individual plant species, plant communities, and ecosystems respond to fire, and how fire frequency and behavior differs both between plant communities and over time. Please join us to learn more about the interaction between fire and California's wild-lands.
For more details on this event contact:
Cathy Koehler or Paul Aigner
Resident Co-Directors
UC Davis - McLaughlin Reserve
mclaughlin@ucdavis.edu
(707)995 9005
A lecture presented by Dr. Jon Keeley, Research Ecologist - US Geological Survey, Sequoia-Kings Canyon; Adjunct Professor - Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles
Saturday, August 2, 2008 - 5:30-7:00 pm lecture & discussion, 7:00-8:15 pm mini-field trip (Field trip is optional and tentative, depending on enrollment. If you wish to go on the mini-field trip, please let us know in advance, and bring a water bottle and wear sun hat and sturdy shoes)
We always hear that many of California's plant communities are "fire prone" or "fire dependent". We also hear that fire suppression has resulted in bigger and hotter fires than those which occurred prior to the 20th century. But are these statements true, and if so what does this really mean? California, let alone the Lake County region, has many different plant communities, and how they and their component species respond to fire might be highly variable. How can we understand what the natural fire cycle of plant communities is? And what should we expect when a fire occurs, and in the years following a fire? Are some plant communities more likely than others to burn frequently, and can or should any be managed to reduce frequency and intensity of burning? And what about the rash of very large "megafires" that California has experienced in the last decade? This talk will help answer some of these questions, and sort out the relative roles of past land management pract!
ices and climate in the recent rash of unusually large fires.
Dr. Jon Keeley has been studying the ecology and management of fire for 37 years. His work has concentrated on understanding how individual plant species, plant communities, and ecosystems respond to fire, and how fire frequency and behavior differs both between plant communities and over time. Please join us to learn more about the interaction between fire and California's wild-lands.
For more details on this event contact:
Cathy Koehler or Paul Aigner
Resident Co-Directors
UC Davis - McLaughlin Reserve
mclaughlin@ucdavis.edu
(707)995 9005