US Forest Service
  
Treesearch

Pacific Southwest

 

US Forest Service
P.O. Box 96090
Washington, D.C.
20090-6090

(202) 205-8333

USA.gov  Government Made Easy

Publication Information

Title: Factors Affecting Seedling Survivorship of Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii H. & A.) in Central California

Author: Davis, Frank W.; Borchert, Mark; Harvey, L. E.; Michaelsen, Joel C.

Date: 1991

Source: In: Standiford, Richard B., tech. coord. 1991. Proceedings of the symposium on oak woodlands and hardwood rangeland management; October 31 - November 2, 1990; Davis, California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-126. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; p. 81-86

Station ID: GTR-PSW-126

Description: Blue oak seedling mortality was studied in relation to vertebrate predators, initial acorn planting position, slope and aspect, and oak canopy cover at two sites in the Central Coast Ranges of California. Seedling survival rates (Psd) were related to treatment variables using logistic regression analysis. Analysis of 2842 seedlings for 3 years following establishment indicated that site, rodents and acorn planting position were important variables explaining seedling losses. Seedling mortality was six times higher in the savanna site than the north-slope forest apparently because of unusually heavy competition between oak seedlings and annual grasses. Rodents were significant mortality agents at both sites. Overall, mortality was high during the first 3 years after seedling establishment with most losses occurring in the first year. Height growth of seedlings at both sites was very low. High seedling mortality coupled with slow growth rates and concomitant browsing apparently make the transition from seedling to small tree a rare event in this region.

Keywords: 

View and Print this Publication (318 KB)

Publication Notes: 

  • We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
  • This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.
  • You may send email to pubrequest@fs.f ed.us to request a hard copy of this publication. (Please specify exactly which publication you are requesting and your mailing address.)

 [ Get Acrobat ]  Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility

Citation

Davis, Frank W.; Borchert, Mark; Harvey, L. E.; Michaelsen, Joel C.   1991.  Factors Affecting Seedling Survivorship of Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii H. & A.) in Central California.   In: Standiford, Richard B., tech. coord. 1991. Proceedings of the symposium on oak woodlands and hardwood rangeland management; October 31 - November 2, 1990; Davis, California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-126. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; p. 81-86.

US Forest Service - Research & Development
Last Modified:  February 24, 2009


USDA logo which links to the department's national site. Forest Service logo which links to the agency's national site.