Description
In 2003, more than 95% of the conifer stands in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park were destroyed when the Cedar Fire swept through San Diego County. A reforestation project began in 2008 planting more than 1 million conifer seedlings on more than 1,000 hectares within the park over more than a 10-year period. This thesis study analyzes the effects of seedling treatment, site preparation techniques, and environmental variables such as slope angle, slope aspect, elevation, precipitation, and soil type on seedling survivorship at various planting sites over several growing seasons. The methods implemented in this study are analysis of variance, t-tests, Tukey tests and a multiple regression analysis utilizing Eigenvector Spatial Filtering to filter out the negative impacts of spatial autocorrelation. Major findings in this thesis study show that seedling treatment and site preparation techniques play a more significant role during the first growth season rather than later seasons; seedling survivorship in burned sites is greater with lower amounts of shrub regrowth; and slope aspect does not have a significant impact on seedling survivorship while elevation and slope angle are significant. Results of this thesis study will help further theories in restoration ecology and will provide valuable insights to land managers who consider the implementation of reforestation projects in severely burned forests in Mediterranean-type climates and possibly elsewhere.
