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maintained through subsurface flow. <br /> Riparian forests form multi-layered communities. The upper canopy typically reaches 60- <br /> 80 feet in height and consists of valley oak,cottonwoods and willows. The lower <br /> subcanopy consists of ash, elderberry and boxelder. The lower shrub layer is dominated <br /> by wild rose, wild grape, blackberry, elderberry, poison oak and willows. Sedges, <br /> grasses,rushes, and Douglas sagewort dominate the lowest herbaceous layer. Holland <br /> (1986) defines several kinds of riparian vegetation found in the Great Valley, including <br /> Great Valley Cottonwood Riparian Forest, Great Valley Mixed Riparian Forest, and Great <br /> Valley Valley Oak Riparian Forest. Riparian vegetation,in terms of having a combination <br /> of willow, cottonwood, and valley oak, is very restricted at Buckeye Ranch. <br /> A distinct but non-continuous band of vegetation is found along the margins of the <br /> currently ephemeral lakes. In some places the vegetation consists of savanna species, in <br /> other locations the vegetation is distinctly riparian and consists of cottonwood, willow, <br /> buttonbush, and valley oak in several size classes. Valley and interior live oak grow in both <br /> riparian and upland locations. On the other hand, blue oak and buckeye are rarely found in <br /> wetland areas and typically grow on the upland terraces of the lake margins. <br /> Sapling-sized oaks and willows are visible along the lake edge. Reduction of grazing, <br /> filling of the lakes, and the passage of time will eventually result in the natural <br /> reestablishment of the lake margin vegetation. The amount and types of vegetation <br /> regenerating along the lake margins will be enormously constrained by changes in <br /> topography of the lake edges during excavation, the underlying soils, the annual fluctuation <br /> in water level, and the source of lake water. <br /> Buckeye Ranch Resource Plan (November, 1993) <br /> 59 <br />