Richard R Harris

Cooperative Extension Specialist
PhD  Wildland Resource Science    University of California, Berkeley, 1985
B.S.   Forest Resource Management    University of California, Berkeley, 1974

201 Mulford Hall
Berkeley, California 94720
rrharris@nature.berkeley.edu
office: 510-642-2360   lab: 510-642-2360   fax:  510-642-5438

Web site         Recent publications     

My current research interests are focused on ecological restoration and monitoring, evaluating the effectiveness of best management practices aimed at protecting water quality and improving the management of non-industrial forest properties. My past areas of research have included effects of streamflow management on riparian (streamside) vegetation and indigenous (American Indian) natural resource management.

As a Cooperative Extension Specialist, my mission is to provide science-based resource management education to the citizens of California. The clients for my educational activities are professional resource managers, public agencies, decision makers at all levels of government and business, environmental groups, land owners involved in the stewardship of California’s natural resources and the general public. My teaching methods include short courses, workshops, educational presentations and publications.

1991-present: Associate Cooperative Extension Forestry Specialist University of California, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, Berkeley.

1988-91: Associate Cooperative Extension Forest Advisor, University of California Cooperative Extension, Humboldt/Del Norte Counties.

1987-88: Independent Consulting Ecologist, State of Wisconsin Department of Justice, Madison, WI and other clients.

1986-87: Post Doctoral Research Ecologist, Oregon State University, Department of Forest Science, Corvallis.

1984-86: Assistant Professor of Land Use Planning, University of Wisconsin, Department of Plant and Earth Science, River Falls.

1977-1984: Vice President and Manager of Northern California Operations, LSA Inc., Consulting Environmental Planners, Berkeley, CA.

1977-79; 1983-84: Lecturer, University of California, Departments of Conservation and Resource Studies and Landscape Architecture, Berkeley.

1973-77: Planner, County of Marin, CA and City of Novato, CA.

Within the confines of University policies on consulting, I sometimes offer my services as an expert on matters related to the effectiveness of best management practices in protecting water quality or impacts of streamflow management on riparian vegetation.

In my professional career prior to joining the University, I worked as a planner and environmental consultant for public and private employers. In that capacity, I was involved in hundreds of environmental and planning studies throughout the western USA.

Harris, R. R. 1986. Occurrence patterns of riparian plants and their significance to water resource development. Biological Conservation 38:273-286.

Harris, R.R., Fox, C.A. and Risser, R.J. 1987. Impacts of hydroelectric development on riparian vegetation in the Sierra Nevada region, California, USA. Environmental Management 11:519-527.

Harris, R.R. 1987. Occurrence of vegetation on geomorphic surfaces in the active floodplain of a California alluvial stream. American Midland Naturalist 118:393-405.

Harris, R.R. 1988. Associations between stream valley geomorphology and riparian vegetation as a basis for landscape analysis in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California, USA. Environmental Management 12:219-228.

Harris, R.R., Blomstrom, G. and Nakamura, G. 1995. Tribal self-governance and forest management at the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, Humboldt County, CA. American Indian Culture and Research Journal 19:1-38.

Harris, R.R. 1996. Forest management in a resource-dependent American Indian community. P. 97-111. IN: Sokolow, A.D. (ed.). 1996. Community and university: case studies and commentary on University of California Cooperative Extension interventions. California Communities Program, University of California, Davis, CA; University of California Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources Publication 3371.

Means, J.E., Harris, R.R., Sabin, T.E. and McCain, C.N. 1996. Spatial variation in productivity of Douglas-fir stands on a valley floor in the western Cascades range, Oregon. Northwest Science 70:201-212.

Harris, R.R., Hopkinson, P. McCaffrey, S. and Huntsinger, L. 1997. Use of geographical information systems versus manual techniques for map analysis in riparian restoration projects: a comparison. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 52:140-145.

Olson, C. and Harris, R.R. 1997. Applying a two-stage system to prioritize riparian restoration at the San Luis Rey River, San Diego County, California. Restoration Ecology 5(4S):43-55.

Harris, R.R. and Olson, C. 1997. Two-stage system for prioritizing riparian restoration at the stream reach and community scales. Restoration Ecology 5(4S):34-42.

Harris, R.R. 1997. No wild rivers. Wild Earth 7(3):46-51.

Harris, R.R. and R. Cox. 1997. Curriculum on ecology and natural resource management for Indian natural resource workers. American Indian Culture and Research Journal 21(3):33-48.

Nakamura, G.M. and R.R. Harris. 1997. Natural resource inventory of Indian-owned public domain allotments in California. American Indian Culture and Research Journal 21(3):49-62.

Harris, R.R., Nakamura, G.M. and G. Blomstrom. 1997. The Hoopa Valley case study: weighing the tradeoffs with computerized forest planning. Journal of Forestry 95 (11):19-22.

Harris, R.R. 1999. Defining reference conditions for restoration of riparian plant communities: examples from California, USA. Environmental Management 24:55-63.

Harris, R.R. 1999. Infrastructure maintenance and land development effects on anadromous fish streams in five northern California counties. P. 151-154 IN: Sakrison, R. and P. Sturtevant (eds.). 1999. Watershed management to protect declining species. American Water Resources Association, Middleburg, VA. Publication TPS-99-4.

Harris, R.R. 2000. Effects of hydropower development on the South Fork American River, California. P. 185-189 IN: Wigington, P.J. and R.L. Beschta (eds.). 2000. Riparian ecology and management in multi-land use watersheds. American Water Resources Association, Middleburg, VA. Publication TPS-00-2.

Harris, R.R., M.J. DeLasaux and S.D. Kocher. 2000. Process and reality: working with a local watershed organization to develop a restoration effectiveness monitoring program. Journal of Extension, Volume 38, No. 2.

Kocher, S.D., R. R. Harris and G.M. Nakamura. 2001. Recovering from wildfire: a guide for California’s forest landowners. University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 21603.

Harris, R.R. and S.D. Kocher. 2002. Oak management by county jurisdictions in the central Sierra Nevada, California. pp. Page 463-472 In: Standiford, R.B.; McCreary, D.; Purcell, K.L., technical coordinators. 2002. Proceedings of the fifth symposium on oak woodlands: oaks in California’s changing landscape. 2001 October 22-25; San Diego, CA. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-184. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; 846 p.

Harris, R.R., C.M. Olson, S.D. Kocher, J.M. Gerstein, W. Stockard and W.E. Weaver. 2005. Procedures for monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of fisheries habitat restoration projects. Center for Forestry, University of California, Berkeley. 24 pp.

Harris, R.R., S.D. Kocher, J.M. Gerstein and C. Olson. 2005. Monitoring the effectiveness of riparian vegetation restoration. University of California, Center for Forestry, Berkeley, CA. 33 pp.

Harris, R.R., J.M. Gerstein, W.W. Weaver, D.J. Lewis and D. Lindquist. 2005. Monitoring the effectiveness of road system upgrading and decommissioning at the watershed scale. University of California, Center for Forestry, Berkeley, CA. 45 pp.

Gerstein, J.M. and R.R. Harris. 2005. Monitoring the effectiveness of bank stabilization restoration. University of California, Center for Forestry, Berkeley, CA. 24 pp.

Kocher, S.D. and Harris, R.R. 2005. Qualitative monitoring of fisheries habitat restoration. University of California, Center for Forestry, Berkeley, CA. 166 pages

Stockard, W. and R. R. Harris. 2005. Monitoring the effectiveness of culvert fish passage restoration. Center for Forestry, University of California, Berkeley. 25 pp.

Gerstein, J.M., W. Stockard and R.R. Harris. 2005. Monitoring the effectiveness of instream substrate restoration. University of California, Center for Forestry, Berkeley, CA. 53 pp.

Weaver, W.W., J.M. Gerstein and R.R. Harris. 2005. Monitoring the effectiveness of upland restoration. University of California, Center for Forestry, Berkeley, CA. 100 pp.

Harris, R.R. and S.D. Kocher. 2006. Local agency policies and procedures for protecting steelhead habitat: San Francisquito watershed, Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, California. University of California, Center for Forestry, Berkeley, CA. 58 pp. + app.

Harris, R.R., J.M. Gerstein and P.H. Cafferata. In press. Changes in stream channel morphology caused by replacing road-stream crossings on timber harvesting plans in northwestern California. Western Journal of Applied Forestry.

Harris, R.R., K. Sullivan, P.H. Cafferata, J.R. Munn and K.M. Faucher. In press. Applications of turbidity monitoring to forest management in California. Environmental Management.

Hong, S.K., C.H. Koh, R.R. Harris, J.E. Kim, J.S. Lee and B.S. Ihm. In press. Land use in Korean tidal wetlands: impacts and management strategies. Environmental Management.

Kocher, S.D., L.C. Thompson and R.R. Harris. In press. Living among the fish: a guide to conservation of fish habitat in the developed landscape. University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication.

Kocher, S.D., J.M. Gerstein and R.R. Harris. In press. What you need to know about rural roads: a guide for California landowners. University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication.

Harris, R.R., Y. Valachovic and G. N. Nakamura. In press. Forest stewardship series 1: Introduction to forest stewardship and glossary of terms. University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 8231.

Giusti, G.A. and R.R. Harris. In press. Forest stewardship series 2: a forest stewardship framework. University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 8232.

Kocher, S.D. and R.R. Harris. In press. Forest stewardship series 5: tree growth and competition. University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 8235.

Kocher, S.D. and R.R. Harris. In press. Forest stewardship series 9: forest streams. University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 8239.

Kocher, S.D. and R.R. Harris. In press. Forest stewardship series 10: riparian vegetation. University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 8240.

Kocher, S.D. and R.R. Harris. In press. Forest stewardship series 11: forest water quality. University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 8241.

Kocher, S.D. and R.R. Harris. In press. Forest stewardship series 12: fish and fish habitat. University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication.

Litman, L. and R.R. Harris. In press. Forest stewardship series 13: threatened and endangered plants. University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 8243.

Litman, L. and R.R. Harris. In press. Forest stewardship series 14: exotic plant pests. University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 8244.