Other Agriculture Communities
Orchard and Vineyard
Orchards and vineyards are considered together as a separate other agriculture community type in the PCCP, mainly so that the effects analysis and conservation strategy can segregate their land area from the other agricultural lands that have some value for Covered Species.
Orchards in western Placer County are often found within annual grassland, mixed, blue, interior, and valley oak woodlands ecosystems. They are frequently adjacent to streams or irrigation canals. Orchards are generally monotypic, tree-dominated habitats, although pruning to facilitate harvest results in trees that range in height from 15 to 30 feet. There are many abandoned orchards in western Placer County, particularly around Ophir, Penryn, and Newcastle in the Sierra Nevada foothills; some of these abandoned orchards are open and grassy, with scattered old fruit trees, while others contain dense shrubs and regenerating oak trees (predominately blue oak).
Structurally, vineyards are composed of single species planted in rows and supported on wood and wire trellises. Vineyards are managed intensively. Aside from the grape cultivars, the sparse herbaceous layer, if present, typically consists of introduced annual weeds, unless the areas between vineyard rows are specifically seeded with a cover crop.
Orchards and vineyards are considered together as a separate other agriculture community type in the PCCP, mainly so that the effects analysis and conservation strategy can segregate their land area from the other agricultural lands that have some value for Covered Species.
Orchards in western Placer County are often found within annual grassland, mixed, blue, interior, and valley oak woodlands ecosystems. They are frequently adjacent to streams or irrigation canals. Orchards are generally monotypic, tree-dominated habitats, although pruning to facilitate harvest results in trees that range in height from 15 to 30 feet. There are many abandoned orchards in western Placer County, particularly around Ophir, Penryn, and Newcastle in the Sierra Nevada foothills; some of these abandoned orchards are open and grassy, with scattered old fruit trees, while others contain dense shrubs and regenerating oak trees (predominately blue oak).
Structurally, vineyards are composed of single species planted in rows and supported on wood and wire trellises. Vineyards are managed intensively. Aside from the grape cultivars, the sparse herbaceous layer, if present, typically consists of introduced annual weeds, unless the areas between vineyard rows are specifically seeded with a cover crop.
