Forest Restoration in Campgrounds at Kings Canyon National Park

Intensive campground use at the Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park, California, has compacted the soil and left areas without understory vegetation or tree recruitment. To better inform the restoration of these sites after closure, natural regeneration potential was tested against planting and soil restoration methods. The tested methods included planting with container stock and direct seeding, fencing, and soil treatments of tilling, mulching, and gypsum and humus additions. The data yielded by this study were expected to help plan and implement larger restoration projects in area campgrounds.