The objective of this study was to assess the above-ground factors affecting the establishment and recovery of the dominant chaparral shrub Adenostoma fasciculatum (chamise) on the Rocky Canyon granite mine. Attempts to restore the California chaparral have been challenging and few successful efforts have been documented. However, the California chaparral can fully recover from fire in as little as 10-15 years. Factors affecting chamise seedling establishment were tested by planting chamise seed in forty eight 1square meter plots managed to test the effects of interspecific competition with native postfire vegetation, post-mining volunteer vegetation, and intraspecific only competition. Plots were managed and observed from December 2004 to May 2006. Half of the 48 plots were summer irrigated throughout the first growing season to test the addition of water on growth and survivability. Nearly all chamise seedlings exposed to competition from either native or non-native vegetation perished within the first summer. Seedlings in plots where interspecific competition was removed experienced significantly higher germination and higher survival. Seedlings in the irrigated plots with competition removed, grew on average 18cm taller and had 27% more coverage per plot than non-irrigated with competition removed. They were also 4 times more likely to survive. The results of this study clearly show that chamise seedlings are not strong competitors when exposed to either native herbaceous post-fire vegetation or non-native weedy vegetation. Restoration of chamise at Rocky Canyon will require removal of all competing species during the first year of establishment. Irrigation is not required for successful germination and establishment but will result in higher survival and faster growth.

This study is based at Rocky Canyon Quarry (RCQ), a 200-acre granite aggregate open-pit quarry with chaparral-dominated plant communities located in San Luis Obispo County, CA. At RCQ, the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA) of 1975 was interpreted as restoring the landscape to native plant communities. Native plant community restoration projects have occurred there since 1993 through cooperation with California Polytechnic State University Biology Department in San Luis Obispo, CA. I evaluated past restoration at RCQ and researched new techniques to improve chaparral restoration based on the natural processes of fire. Chaparral is an important fire-dominated plant community within the California Floristic Province, which covers about seven percent of California. Typically during a fire, heat immediately acts on Adenostoma fasciculatum (Chamise) seeds/m2 in the soil seed bank. Smoke also reaches seeds on and near the soil surface. Chemical effects of fire, such as smoke and charcoal, are deposited on the soil surface and leach into the seed bank after fall rains. In nature, this results in enhanced germination of the seeds and the beginning of chaparral post-fire succession. Fire effects, both heat and chemical, have been supported to increase seed germination in numerous laboratory and field studies. I sought to utilize natural fire cues, such as heat, charate, and liquid smoke, to develop successful and efficient restoration prescriptions. The most successful restoration technique developed utilized Wright’s Liquid Smoke and heat to increase seed germination of Adenostoma fasciculatum (Chamise), Ceanothus cuneatus (California lilac), and Salvia mellifera (Black Sage) significantly. A new restoration prescription for RCQ based on literature reviews and the above mentioned research is presented.