Final Project

Mason Sayer
Geography 7 Lab
Final Project

Reference Map

Thematic Map showing Fire Perimeter and Existing Significant Ecological Areas

Thematic Map showing Fire Perimeter and Proposed Significant Ecological Areas

Thematic Map showing Proposed Significant Ecological Areas within 2009 Station Fire Perimeter

 

As a Geography/Environmental Studies Major, I have a great deal of interest in the protection and conservation of wildlife and natural resources. As a Geographic Information Systems minor, my goal is to try and find ways to follow my passion for preserving the environment by using spatial analysis to prevent natural or anthropogenic disasters from affecting important ecological areas. Therefore I have created a project in which I have analyzed the potential impact of fire on Los Angeles’s most important areas of ecological biodiversity. 

Los Angeles County is home to some of the richest plant and animal biodiversity in the United States (“Significant Ecological Area”). In order to protect the ecology of this “Biodiversity Hotspot”, local government officials have implemented the “Significant Ecological Areas Program”, which aims to identify and conserve the county’s most ecologically important landscapes (“Significant Ecological Area”). The concept of Significant Ecological Areas (SEA) is fairly unique to Los Angeles. Few other counties throughout the state have implemented such a plan, and none have attempted it on such a large scale. Significant Ecological Areas are established to preserve rare, threatened, or endangered species of plants and animals, as well as protect the land and water that these species rely on (“Significant Ecological Area”). The Significant Ecological Area committee claims that it is important to preserve these areas, as they greatly contribute to the functionality of the entire ecosystem. Therefore, protecting SEA’s and the habitat corridors between them is critically important.

There are nearly sixty-five existing Significant Ecological Areas throughout Los Angeles County. The “2009 LA Station Fire Perimeter and Existing Significant Ecological Areas” map shows the distribution of these areas. As one can see, few SEA’s were within the 2009 Station Fire perimeter. However, the fire still had very serious consequences for the wildlife throughout these areas. According to the US Forest Service, the LA County Station Fire altered the hydrology of the landscape, polluted water sources, and increased the spread of non-native species throughout the Tujunga Valley/Hansen Dam Significant Ecological Area and other SEA’s more than 5km beyond the southwest perimeter of the fire (“US Forest Service”). Furthermore, many animals that inhabited these ecological areas such as deer, bobcats, woodrats, coyotes, and birds were either seriously injured or killed in the fire. Many of these animals were not even touched by the flames, but died of hot gases and lack of oxygen due to burning (“US Forest Service”). It is evident that the Station Fire caused serious damage to the overall ecology of the region.

            The Station Fire occurred in what the Los Angeles Fire Department Brush Clearance Service calls a “Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone” (“High Fire Hazard”). The LAFD claims that there is a high probability that this area will burn again in the future (“High Fire Hazard”). However, even with this in mind, Los Angeles officials have proposed to implement three new Significant Ecological Areas that fall within this zone. The “2012 Proposed Significant Ecological within 2009 Station Fire Perimeter” map shows the proximity of the Santa Clara River, San Gabriel Canyon, and Altadena Foothills/Arroyos SEA to the perimeter of the 2009 Station Fire. It is clear that another large-scale fire in a similar location as the 2009 Station Fire could potentially have devastating effects on these proposed ecological areas, as all three fall within the fire perimeter. Therefore it is critically important to minimize the risk of large-scale, uncontrolled wildfires throughout these areas through brush clearing, small-scale controlled burns, and other fire prevention techniques.

            It is important to ensure the safety of all Significant Ecological Areas, but when looking at the perimeter of the 2009 Station Fire, it is clear that the Santa Clara River, San Gabriel Canyon, and Altadena Foothills/Arroyos Significant Ecological Areas would be extremely vulnerable to fire damage if another fire like the Station Fire were to break out. These three areas are home to the endangered Mountain Yellow Frog, Santa Ana sucker, and occasionally the California Condor (Archibold). It is imperative to prevent these regions from large-scale burning like that of the Station Fire.  

            The 2009 LA County Station Fire was the largest fire in Los Angeles County recorded history, burning over 160,000 acres (Crouch). Although devastating, possibly the only good news was that the fire did not affect a majority of the Significant Ecological Areas throughout Los Angeles County. But the newly proposed Santa Clara River, San Gabriel Canyon, and Altadena Foothills/Arroyos Significant Ecological areas would be extremely vulnerable to another Station Fire. Not only do these areas possess a rich diversity of animal species, they also contain stands of mature oak, fir, and other hardwood trees that, if burned, would not return to a forest without human intervention (“US Forest Service). This could have serious consequences on the ecosystem.

            If another Station Fire breaks out in the future, the Santa Clara River, San Gabriel Canyon, and Altadena Foothills/Arroyos Significant Ecological Areas must be of top priority, as they fall within the 2009 Station Fire perimeter and would most likely be the first SEA’s to burn.

Archibold, Randal C. "After a Devastating Fire, an Intense Study of Its Effects." The New York Times, 03 Oct. 2009. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.

"California Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map Update Project." Cal Fire. CA.GOV, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <http://www.fire.ca.gov/fire_prevention/fire_prevention_wildland_zones_maps.php>.

Crouch, Jake. "State of the Climate: Wildfires (Annual 2009)." NOAA: Noational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 8 Jan. 2010. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/fire/2009/13>.

"Significant Ecological Area Program." Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <http://planning.lacounty.gov/sea/>.

"US Forest Service Fact Sheet: Station Fire Restoration." US Forest Service, 15 Apr. 2011. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5298487.pdf>.

"Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone." Los Angeles Fire Department: Brush Clearance Unit, 2007. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <http://lafd.org/brush/zone.htm>.