Hardwood range program promotes oak woodland conservation

 

Oak woodlands are a critical resource in California (Photo by David Muench)

Native oaks occur on close to 20 million acres throughout California, except in dry deserts and cold alpine regions. Oaks provide many values and services including aesthetics, habitat for a wide range of wildlife, watershed protection, recreational opportunities, saleable resources and vital ecological services such as nutrient cycling. But several California oak species have been regenerating poorly. Increasing economic pressure for agricultural conversions and residential and commercial development in foothill regions has reduced the total acreage of this critical habitat type. In the mid-1980s, Californians became concerned that oaks were not being managed properly and were being depleted at an alarming rate.

 

 
UC responded by establishing the Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program (IHRMP), for research and education, rather than regulation. Together, scientists from UC, California Department of Forestry and California Department of Fish and Game try to better understand how woodlands function and to promote their long-term conservation. An interdisciplinary team of UC Cooperative Extension specialists and advisors began addressing the major issues facing hardwood rangeland conservation. Since it started, the IHRMP has conducted and funded research targeting critical conservation concerns. The information has been shared widely with policymakers, planners and rangeland managers. Recent IHRMP research and education projects include land-use planning, sudden oak death, and the impacts of fire on hardwood rangelands.
 

 
The Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program has been conducting research and educating Californians for 20 years. It has published more than 400 scientific papers and numerous popular brochures and management guidelines. It has hosted four major scientific symposia, as well as countless workshops, field days and training sessions. The IHRMP is recognized thoughout the state as a source of credible, unbiased information on a range of issues. Surveys indicate that hardwood rangeland owners and managers often obtain information about hardwood issues from the IHRMP and change their attitudes and management practices. As a result of IHRMP land-use planning guidelines and workshops for planners held throughout the state, local land-use strategies in California now address the critical conservation values of oaks and the importance of conservation planning.
 

Supporting Unit: Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program
 
Dr. James Bartolome, IHRMP Director, University of California, Berkeley,
(510)642-7945, jwbart@nature.berkeley.edu, http://danr.ucop.edu/ihrmp/