Chaparral Wisdom

The hatred of rich understory native shrubs and delicate life forms that provide habitat for remarkable biodiversity runs deep in many. To them, anything that deviates from the mythological, park-like forest or open grassland is useless, ugly, dangerous. It must be removed.

The reasons run through a usual laundry list* of misconceptions:

1. Too much “brush” due to past fire suppression (demonizing habitat in favor of timber production and ranching).
2. Fires are destroying California’s forests (they aren’t).
3. Native Americans burned and thus prevented large fires (large fires have always happened).
4. Clearing habitat will protect us from devastating wildfires (it won’t).

*Additional information on all this can be found on our fire research page.

Hence, we have Cal Fire, the California Board of Forestry, and Governor Newsom proposing a program to attack 20 million acres of native habitat throughout California, with huge grinding machines, logging, and herbicides. They will likely certify their program this Wednesday (12/11/19) at the Board of Forestry meeting.

Please join us to help stop this insanity. The photos below explain it all. Nature vs. what they want.

Please sign our petition.

A naturally dense, healthy forest vs. a artificial “park-like” forest.

Same location before, a healthy old-growth manzanita chaparral vs. after, a “fuel” treated landscape by the USFS.

Old-growth manzanita vs. after the masticators.

A natural, chaparral-covered hillside vs. cow burnt.

Post Rim Fire naturally regenerating forest vs. Post Rim Fire “treated” forest by the USFS.

Old-growth chaparral in Santa Barbara County vs. a masticated, weed infested post-chaparral habitat in Santa Barbara County