FireScape Monterey
Threats and Opportunities to Targets (FireScape Values)
Transcription from Maps & Butcher Paper - Workshop #2
Target: Fire Adapted Human Communities
Threats
 Lack of separation between houses and fuel bed
 Inadequate clearance; Lack of incentives to clear fuels near homes
 Lack of education (short attention span)
 Construction methods (wood framed houses); lack of financial incentives to retrofit to
FireSafe construction
 Landslides and watersheds have indirect fire effects
 Lack of fuel treatments along ingress and egress roads
 Water and fire equipment availability and defensibility
 Local planning and zoning is lacking-building in wildlands
 Conflicting policies between regulatory agencies (Costal Commission, Monterey
County).
 Authorization of mechanical equipment in the Wilderness for both fire and non-fire
emergency.
 Fire return interval has been altered, resulting in uncharacteristic fire behavior. This
results in a threat to communities and the watershed.
 Economic impacts and quality of life post fire.
 Lack of access to fire starts (difficult terrain).
Opportunities
 Outreach
 Education
 Pre-fire planning/Interagency planning
 Hiring of personnel to do fuels work
 Economic benefits of biomass utilization, work, multiplier effect
 Interagency coordination
 Loan programs for FireSafe construction improvements
 Amnesty to those already out of building and zoning requirements
 Changing the frequency of total fire suppression, firefighting that will change the nature
of firefighting tactics and strategies. Fires for ‘resource benefits’ not total suppression.
 Updated FireSafe landscaping, building materials
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FireScape Monterey
Target: Watersheds
(Includes naturally functioning streams, springs and wetlands)
Threats
 Invasive species
 Roads
o Excess sedimentation poorly drained roads
 Wildfire
o Loss of vegetation results in less water infiltration and excess runoff. Leading to
sedimentation
 Sedimentation
o Chronic, persistent, fine sedimentation effects steelhead habitat, sustainable
agriculture, sustainable tourism
 Unmanaged recreation
 Development
 Climate change
o Un-predictable change in function, ecological services
 Zoning and policy lacking
 Excessive burning at Hunter Liggett
 Fracking (natural gas drilling)
 Chemical dangers from the mercury mine in Nacimiento River Watershed
Opportunities
 Roads are access for fire suppression
 Keep excess fuels from accumulating will be a resource benefit to soils.
 Study size, extent and duration of sedimentation
 Grey water education
 Private property owners conserve remaining open space
 Implement regulations, BMP’s, integration.
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FireScape Monterey
Target: Redwood Dominated Forests
(This target is part of Native Biodiversity, and was used for practice)
Threats
 Climate change (less moisture, less fog)
 Invasive species (includes Sudden Oak Death, English ivy (Eupatorium vinca))permanent ecosystem change
 Total fire suppression
 Altered fire regime (historic fire return interval 2 to 7 years)-Duff accumulation may be
increasing fire intensity
 High intensity fires (resident time-duration of fire, deep duff)
 Development/private property
 Recreation (compaction of root zone)
 Development (new or maintenance of existing)
o Trails, roads (compaction)
o Utilities/corridors
 Limited forest management opportunities (due to topography and access)
 Debris flow/erosion and habitat alteration (human and natural)-beyond the range of
natural variation
 Cutting of trees perceived dead or hazardous post-fire (ie, redwoods lose their green
needles but are still living)
 Transpiration (water uptake) makes redwoods top heavy and creates a human safety
hazard as they may fall over.
 Logging?
Side notes on butcher paper: Redwood is a ‘resister’ species. It is ‘fire tolerant’. Redwood
strategy is to survive low and moderate intensity fires (validate with literature cited). Therefore,
controlled burning can increase the likelihood of individuals to survive a wildfire. Therefore, fire
exclusion may be a threat.
Opportunities
 Awarenesss
 Pre-planning
o Mapping of redwoods (interagency and cooperative) as part of fire prevention
planning
o Science
 Waiting period post fire to see if tree is really dead post fire (before it is cut down)
 Expedite removal of hazard trees post fire.
 Education on the uniqueness of this redwood community and how processes like
climate, fire, etc affects the community.
 Fuels reduction work
 Reduce invasive species
 Remove duff around trees
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FireScape Monterey
Target: Aesthetic and Natural Qualities of the Santa Lucia Mountains
Threat
 Invasive species
o SOD, Plants, Animals (pigs, turkeys, bull frogs), annual grasses, pampas grass,
Eupatorium/genista
 Wildfire
o Especially high severity, high frequency uncharacteristic fires
 Recreation impacts
o Trash, sanitation, compaction, shell casings
o More human caused fire starts positively correlated with more human use
 Unmanaged recreation
o No backcountry rangers=resource damage and user conflicts
 Non-sustainable development (large development not a concern in this region)
 Roads and trails/fuel breaks
o Vectors for introduction of invasive species
 Powerlines
 Pot gardens
o Aesthetic, trash, recreation, chemicals, water use, fire star
 Sea level rise, as a result of climate change. May result in changes in temperature,
humidity
 In-holdings/new development
 Fire suppression activities
o Bulldozers-technique and placement
o Altered fire regime
o Fire retardant
 Offshore oil drilling-future concern
Opportunities
 Prevent new invasion/occupancy of Invasive species
 Manage fire for multiple objectives (resource benefits). Frequent low severity fires
prevent high severity fire.
 Recreation has positive economic benefits to the Regional/local economy
 Roads/trails provide access for recreation and also for fire suppression activities
 Prescribed fire
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FireScape Monterey
Target: Riparian Areas
(This target is part of Watersheds, and was used for practice)
Threats
 Invasive species
o Plants, animals, pathogens
o Replace native species, reduces biodiversity
o Can change hydrology and stream bank stability
o Increases fire hazard
 Arundo
 Tamarisk
 Habitat alteration/degradation
 Over drafting-Ground water pumping (from Aquifer?)
o Dries the river
o Kills riparian vegetation
o Eliminates habitat for wildlife
o Relevant to: Salinas/Arryo-Seco, Carmel River, Nacimiento, San Antonio
 Salt water intrusion
 Altered fire regime
 Development
 Debris flow/Sedimentation
o Stream bank alteration
o Grading of roads
o Fire suppression fire breaks
 Roads
o Sedimentation from improper drainage
o Runoff
o Invasive species (vector for introduction)
 Unmanaged ‘wreck’ recreation (Recreation)
o Arroyo Seco recreation use threatens biodiversity
o Pollution-No regulations/compliance???
 Big Sur RV
 SP Sanitation facility
 Skyes
 San Antonio RV
 Nacimiento RV
o Rock dam buildingfish
o Trampling redds and vegetation
o Reduction of biodiversity
 Tourism
 Coastal development
o Existing=FireSafe plans needed and implemented
o New
 Vegetation removal
 Habitat reducation
 Fuel modification
 Water extraction
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FireScape Monterey
Riparian Areas, continued
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Toxins
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Effluent from mining/abandoned mines
Effluent from developed campgrounds/unmanaged campers/hikers
Septic systems (pharmaceuticals)
Flame-retardant from fire-fighting
Herbicides/pesticides
 Marijuana gardens
Runoff
o
Dams
o Water flow releases
o Blocking or interrupting sediment flow
o Change hydrology of stream
o Free migration of species
Inappropriate grazing/agriculture practices
o Herbicides, fertilizer
o Sedimentation
o Water diversion
o Pot farming
Fire-altered fire regime
o High intensity or high frequency fire
o Destruction of habitat from fire
o Destruction of habitat from inappropriate fire fighting
o Results in erosion/scouring
Loss of speciesBeavers?
Climate change
o Altered rainfall regimes causing more high-flow events
Opportunities
 Grazing for vegetation management
 Managed fire
 Riparian areas provide refugia for species/water during cataclysmic events or drying
brought on by climate changeRestoration opportunities
 Not all grazing is bad. CTS & CRLF, vernal pools rely upon grazing
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