Pacific Southwest Research Station

Publications and Products

General Technical Report

Title: Postfire restoration framework for national forests in California

Author: Meyer, Marc D.; Long, Jonathan W.; Safford, Hugh D., eds.

Date: 2021

Source: Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-270. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station

Station ID: GTR-PSW-270

Description: Increasing frequency and extent of high-severity wildfires pose a significant threat to California’s ecosystems. This is evident in both tree- and shrub-dominated landscapes, where novel, human-driven fire regimes may result in large-scale alteration of terrestrial ecosystems and decline in the services they provide. Based on these trends and a broader consideration of sustainability, there is a growing need for a well-supported, science-based approach to postfire management. This report presents a framework to guide the development of postfire restoration on national forests in California. The framework is founded on a set of guiding principles and a five-step process that leads to the development of a restoration portfolio that can inform project planning and monitoring. We discuss the application of this approach to California’s forest, chaparral, and sagebrush-steppe ecosystems. The restoration framework can inform future postfire management, monitoring, and research in California’s diverse ecosystems.

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Citation

• Meyer, M.D.; Long, J.W.; Safford, H.D., eds. 2021. Postfire restoration framework for national forests in California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-270. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 204 p.

Contents