Effects of Tree Canopies on Soil Characteristics of Annual Rangeland

In the central California region of annual rangeland, herbage production beneath blue oak (Quercus douglasii Hook & Arn.) canopies is greater and production beneath the canopies of interior live oak (Quercus wislizenii DC) and digger pine (Pinus sabiniana Dougl.) is less than that in adjacent open grassland. The objective of this investigation was to assess the impact of these major overstory species on soil-associated characteristics in an effort to explain this tree-herbage production relationship. Greater amounts of organic carbon (OC), greater cation exchange capacity (CEC), lower bulk density, and greater concentrations of some nutrients were found beneath blue oak canopies than in open grassland. This explains, at least in part, the increased herbage production beneath blue oak canopy.