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SoCal Forest areas closed

by John Hankins |
Nov 30, 2007

Many Forest areas closed due to fire damage

Los Padres National Forest:

Closed Until Further Notice.

            That’s right, the whole forest was closed -- from Oct. 23 to Nov. 8 -- due to extreme high fire danger and firefighters being stretched to the limit, along with similar closures in the Angeles, San Bernardino and Cleveland National Forests -- all in Southern California.

            The emergency declaration indicated how badly the Zaca Fire and others affected forest areas, and now the threat is from massive floods if the winter brings heavy rains that could seriously clog reservoirs and streams.

            Many areas remain closed, notably most of the San Rafael Wilderness and all of the Dick Smith Wilderness, which are likely to remain off limits until April 2008. Be sure to check with area ranger stations before planning a trip.

            In addition, some areas in Ventura County affected by the Ranch Fire will remain closed until further notice, specifically Oak Flat and Dough Flat areas bounded on the north, east and west by the Sespe Condor Sanctuary and on the south by the national forest boundary.

            The Zaca Fire turned out to be of historic proportions – now listed as the second largest fire in the state’s history, burning about 375 square miles of forest land, but no lives were lost and man-made property damage negligible.

            The effects of the fires will reverberate for years on recreation, animals, plants and, most remarkably, the watershed which provides us with most of our water source.

            On Oct. 10, Los Padres ForestWatch sponsored an evening of vivid photography and firsthand accounts of the Zaca Fire by Ray Ford of the Los Padres Forest Association, along with two of the forest’s newest officials, Supervisor Peggy Hernandez and District Ranger Cindy Chojnacky and accompanied by Kevin Cooper, long-time forest biologist.

            Ford described the fire as “an incredible event” that was difficult to fight due to the tough terrain without any roads and areas that had never burned in recorded history.  It was “a double whammy” that was further exacerbated by “about 40 other fires elsewhere that limited air attacks.”

            On the plus side, many areas previously impassible or difficult to hike due to overgrown chaparral will eventually be open for exploration.  However, the fire devastated many trails and numerous areas will be downright dangerous to negotiate due to unstable slopes, which could be made worse during the winter rains.

            The Forest Service has a BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response) team working hard to determine near and long-term effects, focusing primarily on watershed issues but also on wildlife, archeology, soils, recreation and hydrology.  It consists of multi-disciplinary specialists who were faced with what Ford called “big-time problems and few solutions.”

            For example, more than half the watershed that drains into Lake Cachuma was burned and there’s very little man can do to control mud affecting Santa Barbara’s prime water source in both quality and reservoir capacity.

            “There really isn’t a lot we can do,” said BAER commander Rick Weaver, quoted by Ford in an article.  “Realistically, we can either treat the hillsides or do some form of channel control.  Most of the hillsides that burned are too steep to treat and we haven’t found that channel structures, such as debris dams, work that well.”

            Biologist Cooper said fire has the biggest impact on wildlife, but that the large mammals like deer, bear and mountain lions can outrun a fire and burrowing animals can endure. The endangered condors fly away or above and then can feast on animals that didn’t survive.

Most important, valuable riparian areas, such as along creeks, don’t burn well because of higher moisture and being low, and will bounce back quickly, thereby providing food.

            “Things are growing back already,” Cooper said, predicting “an explosion of the deer population as grasses grow back.”

            He cautioned visitors to stay off firebreaks so they can recuperate, and one of the key reasons much of the forest remains off limits is to allow them to recover without interference from human feet, wheels or horse hooves.

An illustrated update on the Zaca and Sedgwick fires and what to expect in the aftermath will occur at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18 at the First Presbyterian Church, 1600 Berkeley Drive in Lompoc.