The Governing Board of the Joint Fire Science Program approved funding for 12 projects in 2000 from RFP 2000-1.
Most projects have multiple collaborators although only the first few are listed.
We propose to conduct an integrated research program that addresses each of these information needs. The first component will evaluate the spatial and temporal dynamics of the shrublands and woodlands prior to settlement by using a combination of plant community, stand structure and dendrochronology data. It also exam8nes the influence of varying environmental conditions and invasive species on current shrubland and woodland dynamics. It evaluates the changes that have occurred in fuel loads since settlement and provides a comparison of the fuel loading characteristic for ecosystems that are functional, at risk, or that have been converted to annual grasses or secondary weeds, or revegetated. The third component uses mechanistic studies to examine key factors influencing community susceptibility to invasion by cheatgrass and the secondary weeds, squarrose knapweed and Rush skeleton week.