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| Trude | profile | all galleries >> santa_ana_mountains >> fire_ecology | tree view | thumbnails | slideshow |
 Fire is a common part of our coastal hills |
 I was invited to view the burned area at Rancho Sonado |
 Compare the left and right sides. Which is the healthier habitat? |
 Initially, fire leaves behind blackened plant skeletons and ash on top of the soil |
 White patches are ash from where the plants burned very hot |
 Laurel sumac is adapted to resprout from an underground burl |
 Evidence of plant renewal only two weeks after the fire |
 Craig Peterson shows this plant has already survived at least one fire |
 Notice the progression in this gully |
 Coast Live Oak has thick bark to help it survive fire damage |
 This burned cactus probably will not recover |
 Some animals did not survive, but those in burrows did |
 This was a teaching station at Rancho Sonado, and could still be |
 Craig exhorts I.T.O. staff to take photos every week for the next couple years to document recovery |
 Winter rain will dampen the soil and help seeds to germinate |
 Fire ecology changes our thinking from "disaster" to "rejuvination"! |
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