Wildlands and watershed management

California foothill and mountain watershed lands are the primary runoff-producing areas in the state, yielding about 95 percent of the usable water supply. Nearly 65 million acres of forests, brushlands, and mixed woodlands and grass areas comprise the state's wildlands. Of these, the vegetation zones most adaptable for multiple land-use management are the brush (chaparral) and woodland grass cover types. These areas are generally situated in the lower and intermediate elevations on the mountain slopes surrounding the agricultural valleys and are used principally as range-lands. Surveys of vegetation and land use indicate over 30 million acres of such lands could be managed to enhance their productivity for watershed protection and water yield, as well as forage and wildlife habitat.