ondary influence they have on land and 

 water through their effect on tree cover. 

 10. Protection from fire. Runoff from 

 severe storms on repeatedly burned 

 watersheds has been found to be as 

 much as 500 times that of adjacent 

 undisturbed watersheds. For many pub- 

 lic and private land managers, erosion 

 from burned watersheds is a very im- 

 portant factor in the productivity of 

 their management units because of ac- 

 celerated surface erosion and loss of 

 top soil following fire. Research must 

 provide the fire manager with the infor- 

 mation needed to make wise strategic 

 and tactical decisions in the protection 

 of watersheds. For the most part, these 

 are the same kinds of information 

 needed in managing timber lands. Addi- 

 tional information includes a knowl- 

 edge of the ecology of relatively short- 

 lived shrub species. Many chaparral 

 species are relatively nonflammable in 

 their youth, but when they achieve mid- 



dle or old age, go into a period of 

 decadence in which large quantities of 

 dead fuel accumulate within the indi- 

 vidual plants. At this period, they be- 

 come extremely flammable. Research 

 may be able to provide fire managers 

 with techniques to selectively burn 

 chaparral or other brush areas so that 

 the vegetative cover is continually kept 

 in a less flammable condition. In some 

 semiarid locations, riparian vegetation 

 results in a serious water loss. Research 

 can provide fire managers with the 

 knowledge and tools needed to manip- 

 ulate this vegetation. At the other ex- 

 treme, fire can be used to manage vege- 

 tation in the snow zone, allowing more 

 accumulation and slower melt. 



In a broad sense, research is the key to providing 

 the most desirable mix of water quality and quantity 

 production with the protection of vital natural re- 

 sources, and esthetic, social, and economic values. 



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