Oak Woodlands Seedlings Life
in Mature Trees Key
to Oak Species
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Oaks
Woodlands- An Introduction and Overview Oaks in California have been the object of study by people at Hastings from nearly 30 years. Dr. Jim Griffin worked at Hastings for 25 years as a plant ecologist and was among the first to call quiet attention to the almost complete reproductive failure of Valley Oaks (Quercus lobata) and Blue Oaks (Quercus douglasii). These massive oaks, among those that lose their leaves each fall, add significant value to the urban and rural landscape. These oaks are in trouble, and need help. For more on oaks, link to the sections to the left. Curious about what kind of oak tree you have in your back yard? Click on the Hastings Illustrated Guide to Oaks and find out what species of oak is growing out there.... Curious about the patterns in acorn abundance? Why is it a good year and then a bad year? Read the very accessible, well illustrated article by Walt Koenig and Jean Knops on the phenomena of "mastings" in oaks. Click Here (PDF, 540Kb). The loss of oak woodland has become a significant concern to people in California. As a response, various agencies and the University formed a working group, the Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program with extensive information on California oaks. The California Oak Foundation also has extensive web-based information. Both are good starting points for anyone looking for information on California oaks. Below is a contribution to oak woodland ecology from work done at Hastings: Each year, a group of dedicated oak biologists count acorns across California as part of a long-term study. Read each annual report (1998 to present) of the California Acorn Reports. Finally, we have a few pages to show the very interesting, if not bizarre leaf galls that occur on the Blue oak and Valley oaks of Hastings. Useful References The Life of an Oak: An Intimate Portrait. 1998. Glenn Keator and Susan Bazell. Heyday Books and California Oak Foundation.1212 Broadway, #810, Oakland, CA 9461 Oaks of California. 1991. Bruce Pavilik, Pamela C. Muick, Sharon G. Johnson and Marjorie Popper. Cachuma Press, P. O. Box 560 Los Olivos, CA 93441. Plant Galls of the California Region 1979. Russo, R. A. Boxwood Press, Pacific Grove, CA. (out of print....)
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