Conservation Program

Fire and Fuels Management

Below is a library of information on fire and fuels management provided by the CNSP San Diego Chapter.

After the 2007 Fire: Revegetation and Recovery

CNPS Policies, Guidelines, and Resources

• Advice about Landscaping the Fire Zone in San Diego (pdf)
• CNPS Native Plant Landscaping To Reduce Wildfire Risk (pdf) - As seen in an article by David Chipping in the CNPS Bulletin
• CNPS Policy on Seeding After Wildfire
• CNPS Policy on Introduction of Ryegrass
• CNPS Policy on Shrubland Management
• Sources for Native Plants in Southern California
• Sources for Seeds and Bulbs of California Natives

Websites and Resources

• The California Chaparral Institute ...the voice of the chaparral
• The San Diego Wildfire Education Project - Designed for the public and teachers
• Web Mapping Services for San Diego 2007 Wildfires
• "Homeowner's Wildfire Mitigation Guide" by University of California
• San Diego Fire Recovery Network - Our mission is to “foster the recovery of our human and natural environment through sound science, public education, land and community restoration."

Articles, Books, Letters, and References

• Twice Bitten, Native Species Now Jeopardized by Rob Davis, Voice Staff Writer, Nov 5, 2007
• Here are 80 photos of the fire damage around Bernardo Mountain, on the
  north side of Lake Hodges. It shows fire damage to structures and
  landscaping as well as to part of the San Dieguito River Park.
  --Brian M. Godfrey
• The 2007 Fallbrook Fire: A Fire In A Suburban Rural Landscape
  How The Winterwarm Area Was Saved by Tom Chester
• Protecting Property from Fire Losses (pdf) by Travis Longcore, Ph.D. Science Director, The Urban Wildlands Group
  Director of Urban Ecological Research, USC Center for Sustainable Cities (310) 247-9719
  This article lays out the relationship between structure loss and fuel modification. Fuel mod alone is not the answer (see Table 2).
• Fire Reduction Policies - by Kay Stewart, An open letter after the 2007 fire.
• Is Home Protection Impossible In San Diego Wildfires? by Carrie Schneider
• Studying the houses that survived the 1993 Laguna Beach fire storm yields lessons in building to withstand the heat.
  from the pages of Fine Homebuilding magazine, by John Underwood

After the 2003 Fire: Revegetation and Recovery

In the wake of the disastrous wildfires of 2003, much has been written on what to do now--about revegetation, whether to seed, how to prevent erosion. There is much scientific evidence that most native vegetation will recover on its own and that seeding with non-native annual grasses can be harmful. CNPS has developed policies and guidelines on shrubland management and fire safety. Links to those as well as other resources and studies are included below.

CNPS Policies, Guidelines, and Resources

• Advice about Landscaping the Fire Zone in San Diego (pdf)
• CNPS Native Plant Landscaping To Reduce Wildfire Risk (pdf)
• CNPS Policy on Seeding After Wildfire
• CNPS Policy on Introduction of Ryegrass
• CNPS Policy on Shrubland Management
• Sources for Native Plants in Southern California
• Sources for Seeds and Bulbs of California Natives

Articles, Books, Letters, and References

• An Assessment of Fuel Treatment Effects on Fire Behavior, Suppression Effectiveness and Structure Ignition on the Angora Fire - A full report from United States Forest Service on the Angora Fire in the Lake Tahoe Region which started on June 24, 2007. (PDF - 7667K)
• Fuel Age and Shrubland Fire Management (pdf)
• The Effect of a Short Interval Between Fires in California (pdf)
• Lessons from the October 2003 Wildfires in Southern California (pdf)
• The Baja-Southern California Fire Model  (pdf)
• San Diego Fire Recovery Network (SDFRN) Guidelines --By Wayne Spencer, policy chair of SDFRN, a coalition of professionals representing scientific and community organizations and public agencies, which is working to foster recovery through sound science, public education, and land and community restoration. (PDF-11K)
• Protecting Property from Fire Losses--A proposal to reduce the risk of future disasters by Carrie Schneider, president of the San Diego Chapter of CNPS. (PDF-9K)
• Expected Vegetation Recovery of the Cedar Fire--A summary of how trees, shrubs, and herbaceous vegetation are expected to recover and the response of native vegetation to seeding with non-native grasses, by Kirsten Winter, Cleveland Forest Service Biologist. (PDF-107K)
• Post-Fire Emergency Seeding and Conservation In Southern California Shrublands, Todd Keeler-Wolf, 1995 (PDF-318K)
• Post-Fire seeding and erosion control recommendation--Greg Rubin, California's Own Native Landscape Design (PDF-9K)
• Making a Home for Homeless Wildlife in Aftermath of California Fires--National Wildlife Federation (PDF-189K)
• Fire Suppression Activities Cannot Be Blamed--Jon E. Keeley, a research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey and adjunct professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, has 30 years research experience on the fire ecology of southern California shrublands. (PDF-134K)
• Fire and Post-fire Reseeding References, 2003 (PDF-81K)
• Wayne Tyson's letter on the impact of fire breaks   (PDF-13K)

Other Websites and Resources

• City of San Diego Brush Management and Canyon Fire Safety--three good pamphlets on fuel management zones that one can that can be downloaded or ordered by calling 619-533-4444.
  • Environmentally Sensitive Brush Management
  • A City of San Diego Guide to Canyon Fire Safety
  • A City of San Diego Guide to Environmentally Sensitive Erosion Control for Canyons and Hillsides
• Fire Effects Information (FEIS)--USDA database providing up-to-date information about fire effects on plants and animals
• U.C. Cooperative Extension fire recovery and information--includes quick and long-term actions to consider in making a home fire-safe
• Las Pilitas Nursery: What to do after your hillside has burned