The California Nitrogen Assessment: Challenges and Solutions for People, Agriculture, and the Environment

Fire is both an integral natural process in the California landscape and growing threat to its urban and suburban developments as they encroach on wildlands. Written by many of the foremost authorities on the subject, this comprehensive volume, an ideal text and authoritative reference tool, is the first to synthesize our knowledge of the science, ecology, and management of fire in California. Part I introduces the basics of fire ecology. It includes an historical overview of fire, vegetation, and climate in California; overviews of fire as a physical and ecological process; and reviews the interactions between fire and the physical, plant, and animal components of the environment. Part II explores the history and ecology of fire in each of California's nine bioregions. Part III examines fire management in California, including both Native American and post-European settlement; discusses current issues related to fire policy and management, including air quality, watershed management, invasive plant species, native species, and fuel management; and considers the future of fire management.

Nitrogen is indispensable to all life on Earth. However, humans now dominate the nitrogen cycle, and nitrogen emissions from human activity have real costs: water and air pollution, climate change, and detrimental effects on human health, biodiversity, and natural habitats. Too little nitrogen limits ecosystem processes, while too much nitrogen transforms ecosystems profoundly.
The California Nitrogen Assessment is the first comprehensive account of nitrogen flows, practices, and policies for California, encompassing all nitrogen flows not just those associated with agriculture and their impacts on ecosystem services and human wellbeing. How California handles nitrogen issues will be of interest nationally and internationally, and the goal of the assessment is to link science with action and to produce information that affects both future policy and solutions for addressing nitrogen pollution. This book also provides a model for application of integrated ecosystem assessment methods at regional and state (subnational) levels."

"Fire in California's Ecosystems provides a rigorous synthesis and review of the role of fire in California's tremendously variable natural environments. The authors have made a substantial contribution to the fields of fire ecology, natural history, and land stewardship. With this volume, California again shines as a model for other states and regions."and#151;Dr. J. Morgan Varner, Humboldt State University

"Fire in California's Ecosystems proficiently explains the complex nature of the effects of wildfire, wildfire suppression, and fuels treatments on our state's diverse fauna and flora. This book is a useful tool for biologists seeking to develop effective management measures to maintain fire-dependent ecosystems or to conduct further research."and#151;Monica Bond, Wildlife Biologist, Center for Biological Diversity

Neil G. Sugihara is Fire Ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service. Jan W. van Wagtendonk is Research Forester with the U.S. Geological Survey. Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman is Fire Ecologist with the Adaptive Management Services Enterprise Team of the U.S. Forest Service. Kevin E. Shaffer is Environmental Specialist in Forestry and Fire Ecology with the California Department of Fish and Game and Andrea E. Thode is Assistant Professor of Fire Ecology in the School of Forestry at Northern Arizona University.

LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS

FOREWORD

James K. Agee

PREFACE

1. Fire and California Vegetation

Neil G. Sugihara and Michael G. Barbour

PART I

Introduction to Fire Ecology

2. California Climate and Fire Weather

Richard A. Minnich

3. Fire as a Physical Process

Jan W. van Wagtendonk

4. Fire as an Ecological Process

Neil G. Sugihara, Jan W. van Wagtendonk, and JoAnn Fites-Kaufman

5. Fire and Physical Environment Interactions: Soil, Water, and Air

Peter M. Wohlgemuth, Ken Hubbert, and Michael J. Arbaugh

6. Fire and Plant Interactions

JoAnn Fites-Kaufman, Anne F. Bradley, and Amy G. Merrill

7. Fire and Animal Interactions

Kevin E. Shaffer and William F. Laudenslayer, Jr.

PART II

The History and Ecology of Fire in Californiaand#8217;s Bioregions

8. North Coast Bioregion

John D. Stuart and Scott L. Stephens

9. Klamath Mountains Bioregion

Carl N. Skinner, Alan H. Taylor, and James K. Agee

10. Southern Cascades Bioregion

Carl N. Skinner and Alan H. Taylor

11. Northeastern Plateaus Bioregion

Gregg M. Riegel, Richard F. Miller, Carl N. Skinner, and Sydney E. Smith

12. Sierra Nevada Bioregion

Jan W. van Wagtendonk and Joann Fites-Kaufman

13. Central Valley Bioregion

Robin Wills

14. Central Coast Bioregion

Frank W. Davis and Mark I. Borchert

15. South Coast Bioregion

Jon E. Keeley

16. Southeastern Deserts Bioregion

Matthew L. Brooks and Richard A. Minnich

PART II I

Fire Management Issues in Californiaand#8217;s Ecosystems

17. The Use of Fire by Native Americans in California

M. Kat Anderson

18. Fire Management and Policy Since European Settlement

Scott L. Stephens and Neil G. Sugihara

CONTENTS

19. Fire and Fuel Management

Sue Husari, H. Thomas Nichols, Neil G. Sugihara, and Scott L. Stephens

20. Fire, Watershed Resources, and Aquatic Ecosystems

Andrea E. Thode, Jeffrey L. Kershner, Ken Roby, Lynn M. Decker, and Jan L. Beyers

21. Fire and Air Resources

Suraj Ahuja

22. Fire and Invasive Plant Species

Robert C. Klinger, Matthew L. Brooks, and John M. Randall

23. Fire and At-Risk Species

Kevin E. Shaffer

24. The Future of Fire in Californiaand#8217;s Ecosystems

Neil G. Sugihara, Jan W. van Wagtendonk, JoAnn Fites-Kaufman, Kevin E. Shaffer, and Andrea E. Thode

APPENDIX 1: PLANT COMMON AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES

APPENDIX 2: ANIMAL COMMON AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES

APPENDIX 3: BIOREGIONS, ECOLOGICAL ZONES, AND PLANT ALLIANCES OF CALIFORNIA THAT OCCUR IN THIS TEXT

GLOSSARY

INDEX