- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
The 8th California Oak Symposium will be held Oct. 31–Nov. 3 in San Luis Obispo, and anyone involved in research, education, management or conservation of California's oak woodlands is invited to participate.
The theme of the symposium is “Sustaining California Oak Woodlands Under Current and Future Conditions.” The four-day event's 62 concurrent session talks and 30 posters will cover climate change, wildlife ecology, oak restoration, oak pests and diseases, fire ecology, and ranch management and generational transfer.
Oak scientists, foresters, tribal members, land managers, policymakers and other interested individuals will gather to discuss the state of knowledge about the science, policy and management of California's oak woodlands.
“Given the risks associated with climate change, conservation of this diverse ecosystem is an especially critical management and policy priority today,” said symposium co-chair Bill Tietje, University of California Cooperative Extension natural resources specialist based in San Luis Obispo.
The symposium will kick off on Oct. 31 with three optional tours to observe Central Coast oak management and conservation. The Dangermond Preserve tour will provide a glimpse into the home of 54 special status species – including 14 threatened and endangered plant and animal species – in 6,000 acres of coast live oak woodlands at Point Conception. On the Sinton Family Avenales Ranch tour, Steve Sinton, co-founder of the California Rangeland Trust, will discuss the history and management of the ranch, which offers hunting and hosts UC Cooperative Extension long-term research projects. The Oak Conservation tour will visit the Cuesta Ridge oak diversity hotspot, Learning Among the Oaks outdoor education and youth environmental leadership training program, Santa Margarita Vineyard and oak restoration activities at Cayuse Ranch.
Keynote speaker David Ackerly, dean and professor of UC Berkeley Rausser College of Natural Resources, will open the second day with an overview of climate change and oaks. Other speakers will discuss the science of climate change, management of oak woodland under changing environmental conditions, and the maintenance of working landscapes and the essential services they provide to society.
On the third day, two special-topic panels will describe California oak programs for schools, citizen scientists and underrepresented groups. Panelists will also describe technologies used to increase understanding of the oak woodland ecosystem and how to apply the information.
The closing day will feature a plenary session on managing and maintaining working landscapes during prolonged drought. To wrap up the symposium, Paul Starrs, University of Nevada-Reno emeritus professor, will deliver the capstone talk, “Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going?”
Beginning in 1979, seven symposia have been held every five to seven years to address the state of knowledge about the science, policy and management of California's oak woodlands. The eighth in the series was originally set for 2020, but postponed due to the pandemic.
For more information, including the full program, and to register, visit https://ucanr.edu/sites/oaksymposium.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
The 8th California Oak Symposium is scheduled to be held March 22-25, 2021, at Embassy Suites, San Luis Obispo. The theme for the conference is “Sustaining Oak Woodlands Under Current and Future Conditions.”
Presented by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, the 8th California Oak Symposium is intended for anyone involved in research, education, management and conservation of California's oak woodlands. Participants may include foresters, range managers, tribes, arborists, landowners, community groups, land trusts and policymakers.
UC ANR colleagues are invited to share their oak-related work. To propose an oral presentation or poster for consideration, please submit an abstract at http://ucanr.edu/8thoakabstracts by Aug. 10.
View the symposium agenda at http://ucanr.edu/files/331101.docx.
A Symposium Planning Committee and the UC ANR Program Support Unit are organizing the symposium and monitoring the new coronavirus (COVID-19) conditions so conference details may change.
“We will go virtual if COVID-19 regulations are still in place in March,” said Bill Tietje, UC Cooperative Extension specialist and chair of the planning committee.
Registration will open in the fall. For more information, visit https://ucanr.edu/sites/oaksymposium or contact Tietje at tietje@berkeley.edu.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Oak trees are iconic in California's landscape. Just about anything you would like to know about caring for the state's 8 million acres of oak woodlands is now accessible to the public online. University of California Cooperative Extension scientists have updated the UC Oaks website at https://oaks.cnr.berkeley.edu with oak ecology, management and oak woodland conservation information based on over 30 years of research.
“On the home page, we have highlighted oak topics – such as oak planting, oak ecology and rangeland management – that have been of special interest to website users,” said Bill Tietje, UC Cooperative Extension natural resources specialist at UC Berkeley, based in San Luis Obispo.
About 80% of the oak woodlands in California are privately owned, with the majority used for grazing, primarily by beef cattle.
“We added some of the latest UC oak research and plan to promote the website to groups who have not historically used it, in particular, the ranching community,” said Devii Rao, UC Cooperative Extension livestock and natural resources advisor for San Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. “It is essential that landowners and managers have the tools they need to maintain healthy trees and conserve large-scale oak woodlands.”
Development policy, livestock management on rangelands, urban oak care, oak regeneration, effects of wildfire on oaks, wildlife and threats to oak woodlands are featured on the website.
Since its creation in 1995 by emeritus UC Cooperative Extension specialist Rick Standiford, the website, originally called UC Oak Woodland Management, has been a valuable educational resource, with an average of 45,000 visitors annually.
Updating and redesigning the website for mobile devices was funded by a Renewable Resources Extension Act Capacity Grant received by Tietje, Rao and Luke Macaulay, UC Cooperative Extension specialist rangeland planning and policy specialist at UC Berkeley. They worked with a professional designer to improve the website's functionality and visual appeal, and will continue to add new information.
To increase user friendliness, the UCCE team created links at the top of the UC Oaks home page for its three primary target audiences: homeowners, land-use planners and ranchers.
If you can't find an answer, click the “Ask an Oak Expert” button to submit your question and a UCCE oak expert will reply.
“With its new look and expanded reach, we hope that the website will be a one-stop shop for everything people need to know about oak woodland conservation and management,” said Rao, who manages the website.
- Author: William D Tietje
- Author: Bill Preston
- Author: Anne Polyakov
Descriptions of California's Central Coast often include terms like beautiful, bucolic and idyllic. These elated opinions are understandable. The region is blessed with a varied topography, pleasant climate, spectacular views, and a splendid array of natural ecosystems. So whether you are interested in rare and endangered species such as the California condor, or the species diversity found in tide pools or oak woodlands, the California Central Coast is a great place to begin your tour.
It's a reader's digest and road map designed to stimulate and educate the curious to learn more and to become actively engaged in sustaining the region's biological legacy. The narrative is supported with several diagrams and maps and 65 photographs. Additionally, the work is laced with 12 vignettes that provide attention and detail to noteworthy topics. Eleven of these include renditions of historical figures and events, animal and plant ecology, environmental challenges, and conservation measures (examples include uplifting stories about condors, elephant seals, the Carmel River, and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary). The 12th and final vignette consists of a map accompanied by short descriptions of fascinating places to visit that are particularly expressive of the bioregion's natural and cultural history.
Those interested in a substantive, yet readable portrayal of the natural history of the Central Coast need look no further. A free download is available from the online UC ANR Catalog https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=8597.
Education programs for interested public and students on the Central Coast's natural history are offered at many of the locations discussed in the Central Coast bioregion publication. Examples include the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The aquarium hosts a Discovery Lab where visiting students receive hands-on instruction on many of today's environmental challenges.
The Elkhorn Slough Coastal Training Program in Watsonville offers science-based information on Central Coast flora and fauna, and issues involving coastal watersheds. Sept. 20-22, 2019, the Elkhorn Slough Reserve will host the Monterey Bay Birding Festival. The festival features a variety of birding tours and workshops that will be held at the reserve, Big Sur, and Pinnacles National Park. Lessons on bird photography and bird carving are available. For complete descriptions of field trips and workshops and to register the Monterey Bay Birding Festival website.
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden hosts UC's California Naturalist Program. CalNat instructs citizen scientists on the natural history and conservation of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. There are upcoming California Naturalist courses at the three CalNat partner organizations in the Central Coast Bioregion: Cuesta College, Camp Ocean Pines, and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. For certification, Natural History of the Central Coast Bioregion is a required reading. As a certified California Naturalist, you will provide voluntary service that helps to sustain Central Coast biodiversity. To learn more, visit http://calnat.ucanr.edu/.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Californians love their oak trees. During vineyard development, Central Coast grape growers often feel compelled to leave an old iconic oak standing, even if it ends up right in the middle of their vineyard. While driving through the Central Coast, it's not unusual to see the pattern of vineyard rows broken by a majestic oak tree. Aside from their beauty, what are some of the ecosystem services that these majestic trees provide?
To understand the potential value of remnant oak trees for insectivorous bats, the researchers placed microphones to detect bat calls within 14 Central Coast vineyards. The recordings revealed 11 species of insectivorous bats foraged within the vineyards and bat foraging activity was 1.5 times greater at the trees compared to open, tree-less areas within the vineyard. And the bigger the tree, the bigger the number of bats it attracted.
“The study results suggest that the large oak tree in my vineyard not only increases the beauty and biodiversity of the agricultural landscape, but also attracts insect-eating bats that can provide natural pest control—a win-win,” said grape grower Jerry Reaugh, who cooperated with the researchers.
Tietje hopes that the free insect-reduction services provided by bats will increase grape growers' incentive to manage and maintain the trees, and even to plant new oak trees in suitable areas around their vineyard, in mutual benefit to both agriculture and biodiversity.
“In addition to their value for insectivorous bats, remnant trees maintain bird and insect diversity by providing food, habitat, cover and stepping stones that facilitate the movement of wildlife within agricultural landscapes,” said Tietje.
This study comes at a time when declining blue oak and valley oak populations are of great concern.
“We hope the study will increase awareness of these beautiful and beneficial trees and make the case for conservation and restoration,” Tietje said. “Preserving and enhancing biodiversity in the midst of climate change is key to ensuring resilience in our landscapes and communities.”