Santa Cruz Island Reserve

17 May, 03 AM - 22 May, 08 AM

On November 9, 2006 a small wildfire burned 10.5 acres near Valley Peak Road on Nature Conservancy property. The fire offers a unique opportunity to document the effects of fire on the island flora in three different vegetation types including chaparral, coastal sage scrub and type converted grasslands. Our main objectives are 1) to understand how the existing vegetation will respond to fire and if this will differ significantly from nearby unburned reference areas with similar community composition, 2) to determine if there are species present as dormant seeds in the seed bank that are absent or uncommon in the aboveground flora that were stimulated to germinate by the fire, and 3) to determine whether invasive species on or adjacent to the burn site (annual grasses and fennel) will affect the trajectory of native vegetation recovery. Of the species that are expected to be in the burn area, two are island endemics for which there is no information on how they respond to fire (Eriogonum grande, Lotus dendroideus). The shrubby silver lupine, Lupinus albifrons, is a non-endemic species, but one with an unusual life form. There is conflicting data on fire response in this life form using a related species, Lupinus arboreus, as a model. There is some reason to hope that there may be additional species diversity on Santa Cruz Island stored in the seed bank. On Catalina Island in type converted chaparral grasslands, a number of rare native shrubs and perennial herbs were stimulated by the 1999 Goat Harbor wildfire. Mike Wells has also reported increased species diversity following a wildfire that burned in an island pine stand. On the grassy slopes within the burn area which have never been tilled, there might still be native seed left in the seedbank. The timing is especially fortuitous because, with the wild pigs now gone, it will be possible to how vegetation responds free of non-native herbivore pressure. Large areas of the burn were dominated by both non-native annual grasses and fennel. We will examine whether the fire facilitates increased spread of these species and whether they inhibit recovery of regenerating native seedlings or resprouts.

Visit #11981 @Santa Cruz Island Reserve

Approved

Under Project # 7885 | Research

Burn Monitoring of the 2006 Santa Cruz Fire

professional - National Park Service

Reservation Members(s)

Group of 3 Research Assistant (non-student/faculty/postdoc) May 17 - 22, 2007 (6 days)
Martha Witter May 17 - 22, 2007 (6 days)

Reserve Resources(s) | Create Invoice

Dorm 4 May 17 - 22, 2007
Jeep 4 May 17 - 22, 2007
Private Room 4 May 17 - 22, 2007