A Comparison of Management Strategies in the Oak Woodlands of Spain and California

The characteristics, uses, and management of oak woodlands and savannas in California and southern Spain are compared. There are many similarities between the Spanish dehesa and the California oak woodland. Both are located in Mediterranean climate zones, and are used predominantly for livestock grazing. However the Spanish dehesa is a more diverse and long-standing system of management. Products include cork, acorn-fattened hogs, charcoal, milk, mushrooms, and lucrative hunting. Analysis of this system offers insight into the role of ecological and economic diversity in sustainable resource use for California. This paper compares the characteristics, uses, and manage­ ment of oak woodlands and savanna in California and southern Spain (table 1). Although the two woodlands have much in common, the ecological dynamics and hence appropriate man­ agement techniques vary in some important ways. Similarities outweigh differences, however, and methods for long-term, sustained management of the Spanish dehesa provide contrast to hardwood woodland management in California.