Managed fire in a California oak woodland. Photo by Lee Klinger.
A recent study reported at Science Daily on the fire history of post oaks in Illinois reads like page from the history of California oak woodlands:
Old-Growth Tree Stumps Tell the Story of Fire in the Upper Midwest
The new study, in the journal Castanea, confirms that the people who lived in Illinois before European settlers arrived [Native Americans] were in the habit of setting fires in the region nearly every year, with fires in the Hamilton County woodland occurring at least every two or three years, McClain said. This repeated burning actually stabilized the prairies and open woodlands that dominated the region until the late 19th century, when the fire-suppression efforts of the new settlers allowed different plant species to take over, the researchers said.
The study was conducted by William McClain, a botanist with the Illinois State Museum along with researchers John Ebinger and Greg Spyreas, of the Illinois Natural History Survey at the University of Illinois. They also report:
“For hundreds, maybe thousands of years, this was a stable post oak woodland,” Spyreas said. “And then you have a gap of a couple of decades where there were no fires and suddenly the whole system is completely different. It’s amazing how, from Kansas to Ohio, these ecosystems completely depend on fire to be stable.”
See the full report here.
To all you Californian’s concerned about the oaks, this study is highly relevant.
Sudden Oak Life by Lee Klinger 
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