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BTW, if these people think that they are going to get a meadow simply by burning after an such an unprecedented term of fire-suppression they are probably mistaken. Coniferous species have succeeded in these former meadows. Their rotting needles and bark have been attacking the seed bank of meadow species. The trees have dumped an awful lot of seed. Coniferous species respond vigorously to fire. What they will probably get is a brief meadow followed shortly by an even denser forest. Burning again too soon would preclude the meadow species (particularly bushes) from spreading and maturing. I don't know how it would be done without intensive management by people VERY familiar with the local conditions, propagation mechanics of indigenous species, and the tools and experience to do the work.

A range of techniques should probably be developed and (for once) lawyers and politics must not be allowed to intrude into the development of technical methods (or you can bet on a disaster). There should be ample rewards for those who develop efficient techniques. Heck, some might be profitable!

Doesn't sound like the government, does it?

If the restoration of a meadow is the objective, the soil must be seeded with the desired vegetation, and some aggressive management treatment carried out for several years after, such as mowing or even highly selective herbicides, both anathema to the tree-hugger types. Once the low meadow is established, and a grazing population is using it regularly, the meadow maintains for a much longer time.

BTW, if these people think that they are going to get a meadow simply by burning after an such an unprecedented term of fire-suppression they are probably mistaken. Coniferous species have succeeded in these former meadows. Their rotting needles and bark have been attacking the seed bank of meadow species. The trees have dumped an awful lot of seed.

It isn't mentioned in this article, but I recall that the orthodoxy on the spread of forests in the Sierra Nevada said that it was the overgrazing of sheep which destroyed the meadows, allowing more trees to take hold. It does not bear on the remediation, but I'm curious that Gruell doesn't mention the theory.