# Presentation: 180044

## Chaparral Wildfire: 

***Chaparral Wildfire: ***
***The Changing Fire Environment***
*** ******in***
***Southern California***

**Mike Rohde**
**Battalion Chief**
**Orange County Fire Authority**

***U.S. Geological Survey ***
***2006 Congressional***
***Briefing Series***
***-***
***Wildfire / Landslides***

## Distribution of chaparral in California

**Distribution of chaparral in California**
- _7 key types_:
- Ceanothus
- Red Shank
- Chamise
- Manzanita
- Scrub Oak
- Montane
- Mixed
- From Keeley, J.E. and F.W. Davis. 2006..

**Millions of Californian’s live near chaparral wildlands, **
**creating one of the most fire prone environments on earth**** **

## California has a growing wildland fire problem!

- (Data: Keeley and Fotheringham)

- Studies by the USGS and the California
- Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
- show a direct correlation between
- population growth and fire frequency

**California has a growing wildland fire problem!**

## USGS studies have redefined the fire regime for 

- USGS studies have redefined the fire regime for
- Southern California and caused fire agencies to
- rethink how we pre-treat fuels to protect structures.

***2003: ***
***26 lives, 4,676 structures ***
***739,000 acres lost***

- R.Krause photo

## Chaparral fire regimes are unlike 

- More frequent fire has had negative
- environmental consequences, and
- long-term beliefs about prescribed
- fire use in chaparral have been
- challenged.

**Chaparral fire regimes are unlike **
**western forest fires in timber types**

- Alien grassland, Escondido, CA

- Native chaparral, Temecula, CA

## Fuel type conversion caused by too frequent fire is replacing native

**Fuel type conversion caused by too frequent fire is replacing native**
**forest, shrub, and desert ecosystems with non-native vegetation...**
**Contributing to a cycle of ever-greater fire frequency, destabilized **
**watersheds, landscape change, and natural resource loss.**

**These changes need further understanding and new research, such as the proposed *****USGS Southern California Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project ***

- R.W. Halsey photo

## The flood and debris flow sequence that follows Southern California watershed fires has been as lethal as the wildfires 

**themselves.**

**16 people died in San Bernardino**
**County, Christmas Day- 2003,**
**during flooding from hills burned **
**by the Grand Prix-Old Fires two **
**months earlier.**

- Photos: California State University, Long Beach

## What should the frequency and 

**What should the frequency and **
**placement of prescribed fire be to**
**best achieve habitat and fire **
**hazard reduction needs?**

- R.W. Halsey photo

## How are fuels and fire 

**How are ****fuels**** and fire **
**behavior changing?**

- Orange County Register photo

## California Fire Services must have access to, and be a partner of future USGS study, and use this research to guide utilization of limited fire service resources to meet changing fire threats

**California Fire Services must have access to, and be a partner of future USGS study, and use this research to guide ut****ilization of limited fire service resources to meet changing fire threats**

- San Diego Union Tribune photo