ited States eparment of Agieviure Forest Service Pacitic Southwest Research Station General Techical ReportPSW.GTR- 128 8 Blue Oak Plant Communities of Southern San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Bar- bara Counties, California Mark! Borchert NancyD. Cunha Patricia. Krosse_ Marcee L. LawrenceBorcher. Matt 1: Cunha. Nancy D: Krose, Patricia: Lawrence, Marce L. 993, Blue oak plant ‘communities pf southern San Lun Obiyp and northern Santa Barbara Coundes, California. {Gen Toe, Rep PSW-GTR-139, Albany. CA Pati Southwest Research Staton, Foes! Serie US. Depunanem of Agiclure: 4p, {An ecological clasifcation system his Been develope forthe Pic Southwest Region of the Forest Service, Asa fat clawification fo. se ak (Der dni wanda ests ‘of southern San Luts Otispo and norern Sana Barnara Counc in Lon Paes Nations Forest re ‘lawifiedino 13 pant conmunitis amig vegctatton collated fom 20 pl 0.1 screeach, Tee isin regions of sezetation were ented nthe stl aea: Avene, Miata ae Mount a Braseh Mousa, Commute were clasiid eparey for plas in each region, Eas ion hs ould omen that epics Nat or erly loping benches, jcsapes, an vale bottoms. These ‘commas posses relatively high proportion of rg tees (2 Rin db atl appear toe Heil {rwed, In ech epion a exteive weld forest community covers moderate slopes Mt ow ola insoation. These commutes havin common aeltvly high diy (480 pr a) of sal. Ahamete ces (24 i. ib. Nec commaniies on rere slopes with high so iation ae [resent each region, In general oweve, lb dk poorly represen i ee oprah seine Inthe study are, Two rte cormanities ccapy scp ies vith Yow sola ivoation i he Miran Pine Mountain and ranch Mount eis. Each cemuniy his high pierces am ona. asinine staf high consumes spies Finals ppt keaton woodland ad fret somite ‘ue present i Aenales and Branch Moonta repo whore Both volume and ce desis ar high eye tothe ploy communis me irclade nan aprets, These communis wil serve a8 = feamwrk or gtheringprodctvty nt management nam To uber retinemen erie Yerms: Quercas, Quercus dale vegetation casi ation, Cairn ks, ve oak The Authors; “Markt Barhert srs ccoogis, Los Paes Ntionsl Fret Gata Calfrnia, Nancy D.C ik botanist living im Atscakero, Cabfenia: Pala C. Krosse isa sod scent and resource specialist onthe Tongass National Fores Ketchikan Absks. Maree L Lawrence satan! Fiving in Fon Coins, Clore Acknowledgments: \Werank Ragan M, Callaway. Tod H, Keeler Wo. Barbi H, Allen Die Bator A Holzman, a Thomas Mya for evo the sanunrg nd Roberta A, Barak for carfuly ein Mace L Lawrence assed tbe dentition plants thei year Dean G. Capris and Ania Panik identifies plans and Lyn Moody clasiic sis the Uh season, Thomas M Pane and WeteyE, Shook MI gett assisted inthe ompletion of ths poet Cover Blue eak woodlands and open annua grastnds inthe Gras Mountain eeion. Sam Li ‘Obispo Count, California Publisher: Pacific Southwest Research Station Albany, California (Waling adcross:°.0. Box 285, Berkeley, Caltonia 94703-0265 “Tolophone: 51059-6300) February 1993Blue Oak Plant Communities of Southern San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara Counties, Califor- nia Merk | Borchert Nancy D. Cunha Patricia C. Krosse Meroe L. Lawrence Contents Introduction Study Area. Topography Geology Climate Distribution of Blue Oak Methods Sump Data Analysis. Results and Discussion Soils 5 Avenales Stand Classification... 6 Avenales Plant Community Descriptions. - " % Blue Oak/Foxtail Grass—Johnay-Jump-Up. 7 Blue Oak/Chile Lotus-Purple Necdlegrass 8 Blue Oak/Wart Spurge-Goldenback Fern 8 Blue Oak/Philox-Leaved Bedstraw-Bajada Lupine 9 Miranda Pine Mountain Stand Classification so Is Miranda Pine Mountain Plant Community Deseriptions ... i" asesaasu Blue Oak/White-stemmed Fikiee-Foxtail Grass Is Blue Oak/Blue Larkspur-California Phacetia 0 Blue Oak/Bajada Lupine-Tree Clover 19 Blue Oak: Interior Live Oak/Mission § 20 Branch Mountain Stand Classification ..s.0: 28 Branch Mountain Plant Community Descriptions 2» Blue Oak/Common Fiddleneck-Rusty Popcom FIOWEr .suesnnon 29 Blue Oak/Wand Buckwheat/Chile Lotus-Califomia Plantain x0 Blue Oak/Blue-Eyed Mary-Rigiopappus... " . 30 Blue Oak/Mountain Mahagony/Bowlesia- Woodland Stat nsec son 3 Blue Oak/Millside Gooseberry/Ripgut Brome 32 ‘Comparable Communities Across Regions i 40 Open Stands on Gentle Slopes 40 (Open Stands on Moderate Slopes 41Contents Dense Stands Upper Elevations Steep Slopes. Regeneration Snags and Downed Logs Appendix—Keys to Plant Communities... A. Avenales Region B, Miranda Pine Mountain Region. ~ Branch Mountain Region. D. Recent Chan; References. sin Taxonomic Names USDA Forest Service Gon Tech. Rep, PSW-GTR.1'9, 1993Introduction Isak Queen dot & Ate most on B sister ces ay 3 nlon ses age 988)" esp i aye ban cabo onl aid mum are brome bee comenslo apes cicada commerlens Mtn Spee scones creo Cig 1D), Peas een pte on ween the ape gen abc freer ta hye inseaiy al pao te Sue. eine cf sal ee ins Bone 98 kk an Bane 98) Vesna fr Beak mal hve Deen (hour 98, Gain 197M, ole oe lan be ok wh trea wut! pes ep 93) All Dz ln spe Map sry (Alena 18 ace iat ope Io Tz sors de, honeves te ingorar imbcous comport hasnt ern ed cas the ok wean Bokinr 198) eit at pcr he ek aia tin Lin Paes Natal Fores, One onal Caio St neck aie te pel of Me ok fring bce ge pt cme eer feath oats tan Inte srunding psd (Pow and MeDosal 198 Hell 975 Mora Bark 18. Datos of sea cts fone brn est tng {ha 10min can abe sa plan somaya A ean x ed tlle es dpi a asta ims) la eon an a ied To convert English measstemns to metric ase hi able To Find Matin By snebe 2s feet ons Kilometers ries 1.09) Square meters sue fet oyn29 Squaemerevmetwre — squuefeevace — 00376 Hess re os “ Cray 0586 USDA Foes Service Gon. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-139, 1998, soils and geomoxphology (Allen 1987). Be Jandsin the study area have been grazed by domestic livestox least since the tum of the century. however. we have classified the vegetation into plant communities—a term used when suc cessional status ofa plant association is unknown, This report classifies blue oak woodlands and forests of southern San Luis Obispo and nonthern Sama Bartara Counties into plant communities and describes the soils, vegetation, and stand structure of each community Study Area Topography ‘The headwaters of ve Salinas River low trough th valley that divides the La Panza Range tothe nor nd Los Machos Hills tothe southwest (i. n rises abruptly (1200 ft per mile) from the Salis River to a maximum elevation of approximately 3200 feet. Inthe vicinity of Branch Crek and Alamo Creek, however. Garcia Mountsin gives way to Los Machas Hills—a series of dissected hills tht seldom exceed 2200 Tet in elevation, In contrast, the La Panza Range northeast of the Salinas River has thand of low foxhils along is westem boundary that creme gentler ascent to elevations of ner 4008 feet ‘South ofthe Cuyama Rive, the Sierra Madre ascend quickly (1000 permite ston tor eastem boundary with he Cuyam Valley. This southeast trending ridge reaches elevations of 4500 feet neat Miranda Pine Mountain. Southwest of this idge the ‘mountains ar rugged but gravel the coast Geology ‘The northwest tending Rinconada fault marks a regional tectonic boundary between io terrains: the Coastal and Salinian blocks (fg. 2). The Coastal block forms the southern extremity ofthe Santa Lucka Mountains. These mountains are composed of intensely deformed Franciscan rocks overlain by upper Creta- vous sedimentary rocks: marine sandstone, shale. an con- lomerate (Diblee 1976, Veckler and Brown 1968). Northeist (ofthe fault i the Salinian block, Basement rock of this terrain is anite with overlying early Tertiary sedimentary rocks also composed of maine sandstone, shale and conglomerate. ‘Ail major mountain uplifting inthe region took place in the Quaternary. primarily during the Pleistocene (Dibblee 1976). ‘The Sierra Madre were elevated between the Rincon fault and two southssest-dipping thrust or reverse faults, the South ‘Cuyama and Ozena faults along the northeastem base of this mountain block. The La Panza Range uplift was formed by’ decrease in elevation toward