Chaparral deserves our respect

Chaparral is not a problem to be solved; it is a vital ecosystem that benefits from infrequent, high-intensity burns occurring no less than every 30 years. Cal Fire’s initiative to clear chaparral seems like a knee-jerk response to the L.A. Fires in SoCal, which started in extremely bone-dry chaparral and under very high-wind conditions, conditions far less likely to occur in the Bay Area.  

Chaparral doesn’t recover well when burned too frequently, and disrupting the natural fire cycle increases flammability by promoting the spread of invasive grasses and fast-burning weeds. These non-native species create a tinderbox that ignites more easily and burns hotter.

The idea that more fire equals greater safety is unsound. In reality, too-frequent burns degrade biodiversity, destroy wildlife habitat and destabilize slopes. Worse, communities are given a false sense of security while diverting resources from proven wildfire risk-reduction strategies, such as home hardening and defensible space.

Chaparral deserves our respect as a resilient landscape, and treating it as mere fuel is misguided.  Science and recent court rulings have affirmed this. Ecosystem services from chaparral include water regulation, carbon storage, erosion control, biodiversity support and recreational opportunities.

Let’s shift the focus from burning nature to living with it. That means smarter, more innovative land management, community education and policies grounded in ecological science — not fear.

Jennifer Normoyle

Hillsborough