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Ecological Evaluation of Brovelli Woods P.C. Muick rather open forest to a dense , heavily canopied forest. Few shrubs but many vines are found in the forest today. Although the eastern section of the forest has also increased in density since 1940 , the change does not appear as extreme . Between 1940 and today at least three major flooding events have taken place, all swamping both the eastern and western forests . Based on elevation data , I surmise the western forest receives more water for a longer period of time during flood events than the eastern forest. Of particular interest to the future of the forest is the relationship between flooding events , alteration of stand structure (species, age , size ) , and regeneration and growth of the forest. HUMAN USES OF THE LAND Historic Land Use Historic land use was examined through the use of a series of air photos from the county of San Joaquin dated June 1940 , August 1952 , June 1963 , November 1975, and January 1983. Kjeldsen-Sinnock provided air photos from February 1986 and October 1987 . The most remarkable characteristic of Brovelli Woods is how much it has remained the same since 1940 while most of the surrounding land has changed. In general , this appears to be due to a combination of at least eighty years of ownership by the Brovelli family and the manner in which the Brovelli "s managed the land. Based on the air photos, most of the property was grazed by livestock since 1940 , and probably for many years before. The consequence of this stability of management has resulted in a concomitant stability in the type and structure of the vegetation in the savanna and area surrounding the lakes. For instance, a comparison of 1940 air photos with those taken in 1983 shows a similar number of trees in the northwestern portion of the savanna. Recently, however , between 1986 and 1987 a noticeable amount of trees were cut in this area, probably to remove trees killed by the flood waters of 1986 . Two areas of the property were more intensively utilized over the years , the lake beds and the agricultural land to the southeast. On the 1952 air photo, furrows from a plow are visible in the lake bed. A drainage channel from the southern lake to the river is visible in the earliest photo. Beginning at least by 1952 the lake beds were drained and farmed. In 1940 , the forest bordering the Mokelumne River along the northern bank was rather broad, extending from the section described as the eastern forest the entire length of the Brovelli Woods parcel. Between 1963 and 1975 the southeastern portion of the riparian forest was reduced to a thin stringer bordering the river and agricultural use of the land was intensified. According to the topographic map prepared by Kjeldsen-Sinnock the field has also been leveled. When compared with neighboring properties, the stability of Brovelli Woods is even more conspicuous . In 1940 , an oak or oak- buckeye savanna grew on the adjacent property to the north. The trees gradually diminished in numbers and by 1975 all trees were removed. The air photo from 1940 shows a stand of trees sweeping down from Dry Creek and meeting the oak-buckeye savanna of northern Brovelli Woods. These trees certainly could have provided a corridor for wildlife between the two rivers , and as Tom Zuckerman suggested, 11