Edited by Neil G. Sugihara, Jan W. van Wagtendonk, Kevin E. Shaffer, Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman and Andrea E. Thode

Fire in California’s Ecosystems

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Description
Reviews
Contents
Author Bio

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.

“This comprehensive volume, both a text and an authoritative reference tool, is the first to synthesize our knowledge of the science, ecology, and management of fire in California.”—Botanical Rsrch Inst. of Txs (jbrit)

"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."—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."—Monica Bond, Wildlife Biologist, Center for Biological Diversity

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 California’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 California’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 California’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

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.