Jan W. van Wagtendonk 
Fire in California’s Ecosystems 

Fire in California’s Ecosystems describes fire in detail—both as an integral natural process in the California landscape and as a growing threat to urban and suburban developments in the state. Written by many of the foremost authorities on the subject, this comprehensive volume is an ideal authoritative reference tool and the foremost synthesis of knowledge on the science, ecology, and management of fire in California. Part One introduces the basics of fire ecology, including overviews of historical fires, vegetation, climate, weather, fire as a physical and ecological process, and fire regimes, and reviews the interactions between fire and the physical, plant, and animal components of the environment. Part Two explores the history and ecology of fire in each of California’s nine bioregions. Part Three examines fire management in California during Native American and post-Euro-American settlement and also current issues related to fire policy such as fuel management, watershed management, air quality, invasive plant species, at-risk species, climate change, social dynamics, and the future of fire management. This edition includes critical scientific and management updates and four new chapters on fire weather, fire regimes, climate change, and social dynamics.

Table of Content

LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS ix


FOREWORD xi

JAMES K. AGEE


PREFACE xv


1 Introduction: Fire and California Vegetation / 1

NEIL G. SUGIHARA, TODD KEELER-WOLF, AND MICHAEL G. BARBOUR


PART ONE

Introduction to Fire Ecology


2 California Fire Climate / 11

RICHARD A. MINNICH

3 Fire Weather Principles / 27

BRENDA L. BELONGIA AND RICHARD A. MINNICH

4 Fire as a Physical Process / 39

JAN W. VAN WAGTENDONK

5 Fire as an Ecological Process / 57

NEIL G. SUGIHARA, JAN W. VAN WAGTENDONK, AND JO ANN FITES-KAUFMAN

6 Characterizing Fire Regimes / 71

BRANDON M. COLLINS, JAY D. MILLER, JEFFREY M. KANE, DANNY L. FRY, AND ANDREA E. THODE

7 Fire and Physical Environment Interactions: Soil, Water, and Air / 87

PETER M. WOHLGEMUTH, KEN R. HUBBERT, TRENT PROCTER, AND SURAJ AHUJA

8 Fire and Plant Interactions / 103

AMY G. MERRILL, ANDREA E. THODE, ALEXANDRA M. WEILL, JO ANN FITES-KAUFMAN, ANNE F. BRADLEY, AND TADASHI J. MOODY

9 Fire and Animal Interactions / 123

KEVIN E. SHAFFER, SHAULA J. HEDWALL, AND WILLIAM F. LAUDENSLAYER, JR.


PART TWO

The History and Ecology of Fire in California’s Ecosystems


10 North Coast Bioregion / 149

SCOTT L. STEPHENS, JEFFREY M. KANE, AND JOHN D. STUART

11 Klamath Mountains Bioregion / 173

CARL N. SKINNER, ALAN H. TAYLOR, JAMES K. AGEE, CHRISTY E. BRILES, AND CATHY L. WHITLOCK

12 Southern Cascades Bioregion / 197

CARL N. SKINNER AND ALAN H. TAYLOR

13 Northeastern Plateaus Bioregion / 221

GREGG M. RIEGEL, RICHARD F. MILLER, CARL N. SKINNER, SYDNEY E. SMITH, CALVIN A. FARRIS, AND KYLE E. MERRIAM

14 Sierra Nevada Bioregion / 251

JAN W. VAN WAGTENDONK, JO ANN FITES-KAUFMAN, HUGH D. SAFFORD, MALCOLM P. NORTH, AND BRANDON M. COLLINS

15 Central Valley Bioregion / 281

ROBIN WILLS

16 Central Coast Bioregion / 299

MARK I. BORCHERT AND FRANK W. DAVIS

17 South Coast Bioregion / 319

JON E. KEELEY AND ALEXANDRA D. SYPHARD

18 Southeastern Deserts Bioregion / 353

MATTHEW L. BROOKS, RICHARD A. MINNICH, AND JOHN R. MATCHETT


PART THREE

Fire Management Issues in California’s Ecosystems


19 The use of Fire by Native Americans in California / 381

M. KAT ANDERSON

20 Fire Management and Policy since European Settlement / 399

SCOTT L. STEPHENS AND NEIL G. SUGIHARA

21 Fire and Fuel Management / 411

SCOTT L. STEPHENS, SUE J. HUSARI, H. TOM NICHOLS, NEIL G. SUGIHARA, AND BRANDON M. COLLINS

22 Fire, Watershed Resources, and Aquatic Ecosystems / 427

JAN L. BEYERS, ANDREA E. THODE, JEFFREY L. KERSHNER, KEN B. ROBY, AND LYNN M. DECKER

23 Fire, Air Quality, and Greenhouse Gases / 439

SURAJ AHUJA AND TRENT PROCTER

24 Fire and Invasive Plants / 459

ROBERT. C. KLINGER, MATTHEW L. BROOKS, AND JOHN M. RANDALL

25 Fire and At-Risk Species / 477

KEVIN E. SHAFFER AND SHAULA J. HEDWALL

26 Fire and Climate Change / 493

CHRISTINA M. RESTAINO AND HUGH D. SAFFORD

27 Social Dynamics of Wildland Fire in California / 507

SARAH M. MCCAFFREY, GUY L. DUFFNER, AND LYNN M. DECKER

28 The Future of Fire in California’s Ecosystems / 517

NEIL G. SUGIHARA, JAN W. VAN WAGTENDONK, SCOTT L. STEPHENS, KEVIN E. SHAFFER, ANDREA E. THODE, AND JO ANN FITES-KAUFMAN


APPENDIX 1 523

About the author

Jan W. van Wagtendonk is Research Forester Emeritus with the National Park Service, Yosemite National Park.Neil G. Sugihara is Program Coordinator, Wildfire Training and Education, at Northern Arizona University. Scott L. Stephens is Professor of Fire Science, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, at the University of California, Berkeley. Andrea E. Thode is Professor of Fire Ecology and Management, School of Forestry, at Northern Arizona University. Kevin E. Shaffer is Fisheries Chief at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman is a private consultant.