Sunday, August 19, 2007
Zaca Fire
The Zaca fire north of Santa Barbara has been burning since July 4th. It has now burned over 188,000 acres and is 75% contained. Several of the trailheads for hikes I have done in the area are closed. Paradise Road is closed to non-residents. Part of highway 33 is closed which may prevent me from going to the Chief Peak trailhead on 7 September. The Matilija Falls trail which I am scheduled to do on 20 October is also closed. They are predicting to have it 100% contained on 7 September - more then two months of destruction. I hope they get this thing under control. So much beauty being erased - all because of some careless ranch hands using a grinder on a pipe.
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Don't think of it as beauty being erased as much as a new canvas to work on. Certain plants, such as ceanothus (California lilac) will propagate only when seeds are exposed to intense heat.
ReplyDeleteFire also reduces water-thirsty grasses and shrubs, allowing trees and bushes to get more water. Smoke from fires reduces arboreal pests, fungi and diseases.
It's a little bit of a drag when a huge chunk of wilderness is closed down for a year, but in the grand scheme of things it's all good.