Chaparral Wisdom

Cal Fire has approved a program that will make the landscape more flammable, fail to protect communities most at risk, accelerate the loss of native plant communities, and reduce the carbon absorbing abilities of native habitats.

How is this possible? The answer is simple.

Like those who failed to prevent the 1986 Challenger Space Shuttle explosion and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil platform blow out, Cal Fire managers are guided by an outdated paradigm that “normalizes deviance,” meaning they focus on positive data about operations that support their beliefs while ignoring contrary data or small signs of trouble. Hence, despite multiple warnings since the 2003 Cedar Fire in San Diego County that demonstrated habitat clearance projects continually fail during wind-driven fires (the ones that cause all the devastation), wildfire managers responded by calling for even more clearing and logging, often far from communities at risk.

The loss of more than 80 people during the 2018 Camp Fire was a direct result of institutions adhering to a belief system that prevents the acknowledgement of changing conditions.

With an rapidly increasing population and a changing climate, time is short. We cannot allow government agencies to pursue policies that risk our lives and the landscapes we love because those policies support what agencies have always done.

We have spent more than 15 years working with Cal Fire and the California Governor’s office to craft a comprehensive, science-based wildfire risk reduction program. They have refused to listen. Instead, they have produced a huge habitat clearance plan (the Vegetation Treatment Program – CalVTP) with the goal of clearing a quarter million acres of habitat a year, while admitting they are ignoring the real threat to our communities – wind-driven wildfire.

To determine how the CalVTP will be impacting your favorite natural place, send us a note with its location and we will make a map for you (see #3 below).

Thanks to our co-plaintiff, Endangered Habitats League, for their ongoing support and encouragement.

1. The Cal Fire Vegetation Treatment Plan (VTP) will Increase Fire Risk.

One the common denominators in fire fighter fatalities is the presence of grassy fuels. The reason being is that grass, as compared to shrubs and trees, does not look threatening as a fuel source. Firefighters often feel a false sense of security. However, grassy fuels are much more deadly because when they burn, they burn suddenly, quickly, and release tremendous amounts of heat. As any experienced wildland firefighter knows, at least one who hasn’t forgotten his or her basic training, shrub and forest fires are much safer – they are easier to escape if an entrapment situation occurs. While sounding counter intuitive, understanding the danger of fine, grassy fuels can save a firefighter’s life.