Long Term Change in Maritime Chaparral Stands

Maritime chaparral stands on California's central coast are dominated by a number of endemic Arctostaphylos species and are the habitat for several other species of concern. Although chaparral is a fire-adapted vegetation type, maritime chaparral occurs in densely populated regions where fire suppression prevents most stands from burning. In 2000, we re-sampled vegetation at six locations in north Monterey County's Prunedale sandhills that were sampled in 1975-1976 by Griffin (1978)