Excerpt from Research and a Land Management Model for Southern California Watersheds

Emergency sowing of herbaceous plants soon after a fire is an accepted practice in southern California watersheds. The purpose of this first aid treatment is to establish a temporary cover for protection of the watershed while the brush is slowly re covering.

Although reasons for sowing denuded watersheds are obvious, the effects of sowing have never been quantitatively measured. Does the added cover pay in terms of reduced sedi ment in the stream channels? Are more expensive and more effective revegetation measures justified? The burned water sheds of the experimental forest should answer these questions.

Annual species are usually sown because annuals are hardy and rese'ed themselves each year. The seed is abundant and cheap. For years black mustard was the most commonly sown species. In the last 6 years it has been largely replaced by common ryegrass in southern California, but on San Gabriel water sheds the two species have been sown in mixtures. Two other annuals-wimmera ryegrass and Blando brome-are now being used in some sowings. Which of the annuals provides the best cover on different sites? This is another question being studied.

Deep - rooted perennial grasses also have been suggested for emergency temporary cover. They are commonly sown where permanent cover is desired, but perennials have never been widely tested on burned-over southern California watersheds. They are now being compared with annuals in the experimental watersheds to see if they provide better cover, especially at upper elevations too cold for good growth of annuals. The comparisons include tests of individual species and mixtures of species as both emer genoy and permanent cover.

From October 23 to November 29, a total of acres were sown by helicopter within and adjacent to the experimental forest. An additional 83 acres were sown by hand, and 29 acres were sown with a heavy duty rangeland drill.

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