Ecology and manipulation of bearclover (Chamaebatia foliolosa) in northern and central California: The status of our knowledge.

Abstract

Long the bane of foresters, but of interest to ecologists, bearclover inhabits thousands of acres of forest land in northern and central California. Little quantification of its recovery after disturbance is available because knowledge on the morphology of flowers, seeds, and rhizomes is fragmented, and physiological processes, especially plant moisture and photosynthetic relationships, are unknown. Consequently, most of the dozens of treatments that have been tried to manipulate bearclover have failed. Bearclover's rhizomes efficiently gather soil moisture and together with high rates of photosynthesis promote rapid growth and site capture. Using all available water limits species richness, and the plant community in established stands is limited to a few hardy species. Above-ground stem density of bearclover also is high. Because of nearly total site capture both above and below ground, successful long-term manipulation of bearclover is limited. The most effective treatments are those that kill bearclover rhizomes, and herbicides such as Roundup and Velpar are effective. In local environments, treatments such as the winged subsoiler and perhaps repeated fire at the time of flowering may prove to be effective. However, no treatment completely eliminates bearclover, and it persists as part of the plant community.Retrieval Terms: bearclover, morphology, plant community, species development, vegetation management

Bumble bee use of post‐fire chaparral in the central Sierra Nevada

“…Private and public land managers often target montane chaparral for suppression or removal to aid with forest regeneration and to reduce fire risk (McGinnis et al ). Chaparral that develops in forest openings created by fire or timber harvest is often selectively treated to reduce competition with naturally occurring or planted conifer seedlings (McDonald and Everest , McDonald et al ) in areas where reforestation is a management priority. Treatment methods to reduce or remove unwanted vegetation include prescribed fire, broadcast spraying of herbicides to kill all herbaceous and shrub cover within conifer plantations (or in preparation for conifer planting), targeted herbicide application to shrub species (generally manzanita [ Arctostaphylos spp.…”

“…], ceanothus [ Ceanothus spp. ], or bearclover [ Chamaebatia foliolosa ]) or noxious weeds (e.g., cheatgrass [ Bromus tectorum ], bull thistle [ Cirsium vulgare ], Klamath weed [ Hypericum perforatum ], yellow star thistle [ Centaurea solstitialis ]) that leaves other shrubs and herbaceous vegetation intact, hand‐grubbing to remove the above‐ground portion of target shrub species using hand tools, and tilling and mastication using heavy equipment to excavate or grind and shred all vegetation regardless of species (McDonald et al ).…”