Land Management Plan - Part 2 Los Padres National Forest Strategy

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Land Management Plan Part 2 Los Padres National Forest Strategy September 2005 Ventana Cones 2,220 acres Places: Ventana The Ventana Cones proposed RNA is located on the Monterey Ranger District about 32 miles west of King City in the heart of the Ventana Wilderness. The topography of the 2,220-acre area is defined by a steep, west-facing slope with numerous rock outcrops and narrow canyons. Elevations range from 2,000 to 4,700 feet. This proposed RNA was selected to represent the narrow endemic Santa Lucia fir, as well as associated rock-outcrop vegetation, including hardwood forests composed of tanoak, madrone and California bay. The Santa Lucia fir occurs both in single-species stands and mixed with canyon live oak and other hardwoods. Fir stands are patchily distributed within this area often around rock outcrops. The area is part of a much larger watershed that drains into the Carmel River. There is one designated trail through the area leading to the Ventana Double Cone. Page 98
September 2005 Land Management Plan Part 2 Los Padres National Forest Strategy Special Interest Areas Cuesta Ridge Botanical Places: Cuesta Established in 1969, the Cuesta Botanical Area covers 1,304 acres of serpentine Sargent cypress (Cupressus sargentii), but also includes small stands of Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri). In addition to being the largest area of Sargent cypress on the national forest, the area is of special importance because it provides important habitat for the following sensitive plants: Cuesta Pass checkerbloom (Sidalcea bickmanii spp. anomala), San Luis sedge (Carex obispoensis), San Luis mariposa lily (Calochortus obispoensis), and Brewer's spineflower (Chorizanthe breweri). In 1994, the Highway 41 Fire burned through the botanical area destroying most of the Sargent cypress trees. However, the year after the fire, botanists found thousands of Sargent cypress seedlings. In a similar fashion, thousands of Cuesta Pass checkerbloom plants appeared where previously there were only known to be 50. This illustrates the resiliency of the botanical area and its vegetation to wildland fire. Dry Lakes Ridge Botanical Places: Highway 33 Corridor The Dry Lakes Ridge Special Interest Area (SIA) (located in Ventura County) was set aside for its outstanding botanical values. The area encompasses over 400 acres of dry lakes formed from a relatively small internal basin located at the axis of a steeply folded anticline. Of botanical and scientific interest are the disjunct relict plant species including Lotus stipularis, Rhus trilobata quinata, Apoxynum pumilum, and Chrysothasmnus nauseosus consumilis, none of which are found on nearby ridges. In addition, there are remnant stands of Pinus ponderosa. Mount Pinos Summit Botanical Places: Mt. Pinos Located in Ventura and Kern Counties, the 450-acre Mount Pinos SIA was designated for its unique botanical values. The species of special interest is limber pine, which grows in two relatively small areas (less than 20 acres) on Mt. Pinos and Sawmill Mountain above 8,000-feet in elevation. These pine trees are the only representatives of southern California subalpine forest on the Los Padres National Forest. Quatal Canyon Geological Places: Mt. Pinos Quatal Canyon SIA (located in Ventura and Kern Counties) was set aside for its unique geological attributes. The area as viewed from Quatal Canyon clearly has a distinctive geomorphic character when compared with the surrounding terrain. Vertical pedestals and eroded cliffs of folded buff and iron-stained sandstone beds (Caliente Formation) have been sculpted by surface waters. The results are channels and near vertical slopes of loose debris which disgorge onto Quatal Canyon Valley. Soils are so thin that little or no vegetation grows. The area shows a unique terrain, which is being eroded so fast that soil profiles cannot develop. Indeed, the area allows anyone interested in earth science to observe how quickly the bedrock history of the national forest can be erased by water erosion, even in a desert climate. Page 99
Page 1 and 2:
United States Department of Agricul
Page 3:
Land Management Plan Part 2 Los Pad
Page 6 and 7:
APPENDIX A - SPECIAL DESIGNATION OV
Page 8 and 9:
LM 1 - Landscape Aesthetics........
Page 10 and 11:
Document Format Protocols The follo
Page 12 and 13:
Page 14 and 15:
Page 16 and 17:
Page 18 and 19:
Page 20 and 21:
Page 22 and 23:
Page 24 and 25:
Page 26 and 27:
Page 28 and 29:
Page 30 and 31:
Page 32 and 33:
Page 34 and 35:
Page 36 and 37:
Page 38 and 39:
Page 40 and 41:
Page 42 and 43:
Page 44 and 45:
Page 46 and 47:
Page 48 and 49:
Page 50 and 51:
Page 52 and 53:
Page 54 and 55:
Page 56 and 57:
Page 58 and 59: Land Management Plan Part 2 Los Pad
show all

Land Management Plan - Part 2 Los Padres National Forest Strategy

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?