Chaparral Wisdom
To celebrate the magic and beauty of Nature & the chaparral
Ecological Restoration a Core Objective for the Four Southern California National Forests
“There is an additional crisis taking place in our Southern California Forests as an unprecedented number of human-caused fires have increased fire frequency to the extent that fire-adapted chaparral can no longer survive and is being replaced with non-native annual grasses at an alarming rate. To counter these trends, forest managers will need to significantly increase the pace and scale of the Region’s restoration work. Only an environmental restoration program of unprecedented scale can alter the direction of current trends.
From this point forward, Ecological Restoration will be the central driver of wildland and forest stewardship in the Pacific Southwest Region, across all program areas and activities. Future Land and Resource Management Plans, other strategic plans and project plans will identify Ecological Restoration as a core objective.”
– US Forest Service
Ecological Restoration Implementation Plan
January 2013
Please go here for the full report.
Things are getting better.
Rick
Proper Land Planning Works to protect homes from wildfire
At the end of the Los Angeles Times article on May 4, 2013 concerning the Springs Fire in the Santa Monica Mountains, a telling revelation: land planning, not massive habitat clearance operations make the difference.
“Both Dettorre and Lindberry said good urban planning was also an important factor this week. Ventura County has long required strict setbacks for fire protection measures for developments. These created important barriers that helped prevent flames from reaching subdivisions.
Lindberry said that’s one reason the Dos Vientos neighborhood in Newbury Park, which appeared besieged on multiple sides by flames Thursday, suffered virtually no damage.
Strict growth controls in the county have also proved helpful for firefighters.
Officials in the 1970s adopted a plan of keeping nearly all commercial and residential development within the boundaries of Ventura County’s 10 cities. That created greenbelt buffers between the cities and limited the growth of residential tracts on unincorporated land. Several major Ventura County fires burned large amounts of open space but spared neighborhoods. The massive wildfire in 2003 burned 172,000 acres but destroyed only 38 structures.
“Because of our history, we know where our fires are going to go,” Dettorre said.”
Below is the image of the Springs Fire. A classic. The fire starts next to a road (flame symbol) and then burns all the way to the ocean.
Another Citizen’s Rights are Abused by Clearance Contractor
Another man could lose his property due to the predatory practices of the clearance contractor Fire Prevention Services Inc. (FPS) and the dismissive attitude of San Diego County Tax Collector Dan McAllister.
The following is a letter to Cal Fire that we received a copy of last night concerning Benton Yue’s property near the community of Hidden Meadows, just north of Escondido. FPS claimed to have removed 72 dump truck loads of material from the property. See photo below of the property PRIOR to the so-called “abatement.”
Dear Cal Fire,
My situation has gone from bad to worse since my last email to you in September 2012.
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