Cedars

More Blodgett information:

Blodgett Forest
Research Station
4501 Blodgett Forest Road Georgetown, CA 95634
Phone: (530) 333-4475
Fax: 530-333-2012
bfrs@nature.berkeley.edu


Blodgett Forest Research Station

 

Blodgett Forest, situated on the Georgetown Divide, consists of high site mixed conifer forest, oak forest, and brushland Gradients on the gently rolling topography average less than 30 percent. Three major creeks flow through the Forest. Over 400 species of plants on the property provide habitat for 150 species of animals.

Four major soil types are found on Blodgett. The soils derived from granodiorite parent materials are Holland, Piliken-variant and Musick. The Cohasset soil is formed from andesitic parent materials. In these soils conifers can grow to heights of 27-34 m (90-110') and diameters of 46 66 cm (18-26") after 50-60 years. This land is representative of the more productive forestland in California.

Weather data have been recorded on a daily basis since 1961. Annual precipitation averages 166 cm (65") with a range of 580-2740 mm (23 - 108"). Annual snowfall averages 2540 mm (100"). Summer temperatures range from 14-C to 27 C (57-80 degrees F) and winter temperatures from 0 C to 9 C (32-48 degrees F).

 

Blodgett Forest Research Station Dominant Usage

The scientific value of Blodgett has grown with the corresponding increase of the demands on natural resources. Blodgett Forest research has a fifty-year history which includes studies of tree growth, forest succession, harvesting costs, forest insect and disease dynamics, forest ecology, wildlife population dynamics, range animal dynamics, control of non-tree vegetation, thinning and spacing of commercial conifers, soil compaction from logging operations, effects and techniques of prescribed fire, conifer regeneration methods, harvesting methods, nutrient cycling, and much more.

Support for research is provided in the form of facilities, equipment loans, etc. This support is financed by sales of forest products and by grants from the USDA Forest Service, the National Science Foundation, and the University of California Agricultural Experiment Station.

The major mission of Blodgett Forest is to evaluate response, cost, and impacts of different management activities. The forest is divided into approximately 90 compartments, which have an average size of 13 hectares (33 acres). Each compartment's management is designated as even-aged, uneven-aged, or reserve. Measurements are made of animals and vegetation on the entire forest, and state-of-the-art analyses involving computer simulation and geographic information systems are used.