Pacific Southwest Research Station

Publication Information

Title: Five southern California oaks: identification and postfire management

Author: Plumb, Timothy R.; Gomez, Anthony P.

Date: 1983

Source: Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-71. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; 56 p

Station ID: GTR-PSW-071

Description: Oak trees in California are subject to periodic burning by fire, but their trunks and crowns vary in tolerance to fire. And once burned, oaks are difficult to identify by species. Fifteen oak species grow in California. This report provides keys to identifying five species of southern California oaks: coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia Née), interior live oak (Q. wislizenii A. DC.), California black oak (Q. kelloggii Newb.), canyon live oak (Q. chrysolepis Liebm.), and California scrub oak (Q. dumosa Nutt.). For each species, the characteristics of leaves, acorns, and bark; response to fire; and management alternatives for damaged oaks after fire are described.

Key Words: Retrieval Terms: Quercus agrifolia Née, Q. wislizenii A. DC., Q. kelloggii Newb., Q. chrysolepis Liebm., Q. dumosa Nutt., oak taxonomy, tree injury, sprouting, oak management, fire management, southern California

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Plumb, Timothy R.; Gomez, Anthony P.  1983.  Five southern California oaks: identification and postfire management  Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-71. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; 56 p.