Since our tour of the Canyon with Paul Maslin and Jeff Mott, I have become aware of the plight of the oak groves around the canyon, and in the California foothills generally that are being “out competed” by conifers in part by lack of fires. There are some advantages to the oak groves. They are more supportive of native grasses, and therefore the wildlife community and more tolerant of wild fires. So my “new fire” theory is to act like fire and selectively thin the conifers around Black Oak Groves. The thinned plants should be cut into as many pieces as possible ( chipping would be ideal), so that reincorporation into soil and nutrients can take place as quickly as possible.
The photo above shows an area I am beginning to thin.
Skip to content
In a small canyon in the Southern Cascades