The Effects of Prolonged Drought on Chaparral Vegetation and Burn Severity
California recently experienced one of the most severe droughts in its history, resulting in extensive dieback of chaparral vegetation in the State’s Mediterranean regions. Though chaparral species are adapted to annual summer drought, the duration or intensity of a drought may exceed the adaptive capabilities of even these plants. The impacts of the recent severe drought were further exacerbated in many chaparral ecosystems by the occurrence of wildfires.