Degradation and restoration of Indigenous California black oak (Quercus kelloggii) stands in the northern Sierra Nevada
/This study summarizes Indigenous oral traditions, assesses current and historical forest structure, and measures fire effects of the 2021 Dixie Fire to understand the state of forests in the northern Sierra Nevada with cultural significance to the Mountain Maidu. Oral traditions of the Mountain Maidu cultural burning practices were passed down through generations and were incorporated into this work by one of the authors. The focal site of the study was the Plumas National Forest expanded on University of California, and data included Berkeley forest inventory plots, a California black oak census, and dendroecological fire history records. Regional forest conditions were assessed historically via a 1924 forest inventory, while current conditions were quantified through data from the Forest Inventory Analysis program.
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Stephens, SL, L Hall, CW Stephens, AA Bernal, and BM Collins. 2023 “Degradation and restoration of Indigenous California black oak (Quercus kelloggii) stands in the northern Sierra Nevada.” Fire Ecology. 19:12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-023-00172-9.
