Site G

Valley oak woodland; 40 to 59 percent canopy cover

Oak Cover/Forestry Assessment:
Oak volume ranges from 1100 to 2900 cubic feet per acre. Ten year growth ranges from 120 to 420 cubic feet per acre. Some thinning on a sustainable basis is possible, especially in stands with large numbers of small trees to improve individual tree growth rate. There is some possibility to utilize harvested trees for solid wood products, such as white oak lumber or barrel staves. 170 to 680 cubic feet per acre could be harvested every 20 years on stands with less than 30 percent slope. It is important to ensure that adequate oak regeneration results after the harvest.

Recreation Assessment:
These areas are excellent for medium to large populations of mule and black-tailed deer, squirrel, wild pigs, wild turkeys, mourning dove, and band-tailed pigeons. On areas with less than 30 percent slope, the terrain is excellent for hunter access. Some careful tree thinning can complement game habitat. Where controlled fire can be used, it can help stimulate palatable shrub browse. Seeding clover and other legumes and maintaining these through grazing, as well as increasing shrub cover, will benefit deer, turkey and quail.

Wildlife Diversity Assessment:
These valley oak woodland stands support a large number of wildlife species. The tree density makes these areas less desirable for open grassland species such as western meadowlarks and western kingbirds, but very desirable for woodland species such as Pacific-slope flycatchers and orange-crowned warblers. The occurrence of more complex habitats, through the presence of habitat elements such riparian zones, snags, trees with cavities, and large woody debris, has an important effect on biodiversity. There are 17 amphibian species, 27 reptile species, 63 mammal species, and 123 bird species which are predicted to occur by CWHR on the most diverse habitats in these stands. If there are no riparian zones or sources of water, no snags or cavity trees, and no large woody debris or brush piles on the site, the number of vertebrate wildlife species predicted to occur on these habitats falls to 8 amphibian species, 25 reptiles, 29 mammals, and 93 bird species. This points to the importance of maintaining diversity in the habitat elements present in the stand to provide for the highest possible diversity of wildlife species.

Grazing Assessment:
Average forage production capability is 2,000 pounds per acre with a range from 1,000 to 2,800 pounds. On such sites, the shading effect of the canopy usually suppresses total production. Thistles and other undesirable plants may occur under the tree canopy, although this is not typical. Potential for range improvement on slopes less than 30 percent through seeding, fertilization, and grazing management may increase productivity by two- to three- fold where production is currently at the low end of the scale. Tree thinning will increase forage production under the removed canopy in the higher rainfall zones of the state (over 20 inches per year).