Chaparral and associated ecosystems management: a 5-year research and development program

Chaparral is the dominant vegetation in the wildlands of central and southern California. It has evolved fire adaptions that make it flammable and trigger postfire regeneration, thereby ensuring plant community rejuvenation. To provide a framework for chaparral-related research and accelerate development and demonstration of urgently needed management techniques, the Forest Service, in 1976, began a 5-year research and development program. The Vegetation Management Alternatives for Chaparral and Related Ecosystems Program was organized by the Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station and the Pacific Southwest Region, and headquartered at Riverside, California. This report provides a nontechnical overview of the program's 5-year accomplishments. The results should be useful to managers and landowners in planning and managing chaparral and associated ecosystems.