Pacific Southwest Research Station

Publication Information

Title: Controlled burns on the urban fringe, Mount Tamalpais, Marin County, California

Author: Spittler, Thomas E.

Date: 1989

Source: In: Berg, Neil H. tech. coord. Proceedings of the Symposium on Fire and Watershed Management: October 26-28, 1988, Sacramento, California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-109. Berkeley, Calif.: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station: 43-48

Station ID: GTR-PSW-109

Description: The California Department of Conservation, Division of Mines and Geology provided technical assistance to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in assessing potential geologic hazards that could be affected by proposed prescribed burns on Mt. Tamalpais. This research yielded the following conclusions: (1) landsliding and surface erosion have contributed to the denudation of Mount Tamalpais; (2) Debris flows and surface erosion could affect property and the environment on and below the mountain; (3) The removal of chaparral will reduce the stability of the slopes; and (4) Prescribed burning may reduce the risk and lessen the destructive effects of wildfire and may therefore have significantly less impact on both landsliding and surface erosion than the probable wildfire event modeled by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

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Spittler, Thomas E.  1989.  Controlled burns on the urban fringe, Mount Tamalpais, Marin County, California  In: Berg, Neil H. tech. coord. Proceedings of the Symposium on Fire and Watershed Management: October 26-28, 1988, Sacramento, California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-109. Berkeley, Calif.: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station: 43-48.