Forest Changes in the Warner Mountains, California∗

In the Warner Mountains of California, land use policies of the U. S. Forest Service have resulted in alterations of the vegetation over the last century even within the landscape reserve of the South Warner Wilderness. Fire suppression has led to increasing reproduction of white fir and decreasing establishment of yellow pines. Grazing by domestic livestock has caused an invasion of brush and grass by trees. The acceptance of such alterations within an established wilderness, presumably protecting “natural'’conditions, reflects the difficulty of recognizing the changes as cultural phenomena.