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An Urgent Plea - Help Our Land Heal: Stay Out of Natural Burn Areas

Dear fellow Angelenos,

As we recover from the devastating wildfires that have swept through our home, I would like to ask you to give our natural landscapes the time and space they need to heal. While exploring these affected areas may be tempting, we must collectively avoid entering burned areas to allow them to recover. Below are some ways you can help:

1. Avoid Hiking in Affected Areas: While we all miss our favorite hiking trails, please hike in spots that have not been damaged by the fire to allow recovery in affected areas. Burned landscapes are fragile and undergoing a complex natural process of regeneration. Foot traffic can disrupt this recovery by damaging new growth, compacting soil, and interfering with wildlife trying to return to their habitats. Invasive seeds can also hitch a ride unnoticed on our shoes, socks, or dogs. Tracking invasive grasses into recently burned areas prevents recovery and runs the risk of our beloved hiking spots ending up as a sea of flammable, dried-up invasive grasses rather than the diverse ecosystems we love to hike in. If you do find yourself in a burned area, please be sure to stay on-trail to protect recovering plants.

2. Prevent Soil Erosion: Post-fire landscapes are highly susceptible to erosion. Walking, biking, or off-road driving in these areas can worsen soil instability and increase sedimentation in nearby waterways, impacting water quality and downstream ecosystems.

3. Give Wildlife Space: Many animals are already under stress from habitat loss due to the fires. Human activity can cause further disturbance, forcing wildlife to flee, which delays their resettlement in the area. These animals are also critical to burn areas recovering naturally. We’ve all been through a lot, so let’s give our animal neighbors a chance to settle in and recover as best they can.

4. Protect Fire-Adapted/Evolved Plant Species: Many plants, such as Calochortus Lilies, Whispering Bells, and Coulter’s Snapdragon are specifically adapted to fire and germinate more readily after a burn. These plants play a critical role in restoring biodiversity and providing habitat for other species. Human interference can trample seedlings or disrupt the soil conditions these plants need to thrive. Staying out of recently burned areas gives these beautiful (and in some cases declining) species space to thrive, so we can all enjoy their colorful display when it’s time to hike our favorite trails again.

5. Skip the Seeds: While you may want to help by spreading seeds in burned areas, this will do more harm than good. Seed mixes, even those labeled as for California, often contain invasive and aggressive plants that damage the ecosystem and choke out native plants. Our ecosystems are fire adapted and will bounce back; they just need time to recover. Native plants have evolved over millions of years to regrow, resprout, and reseed after fires, so your beautiful views when hiking will be back with a little time and rainfall. Many rare and beautiful bulbs and seeds have been waiting for the right conditions to grow, so letting them do so uninterrupted by any added seeds is best. If you want to scatter native wildflower seeds* to support local pollinators, do so in urban/developed areas or in your own backyard!

5. Support Scientific Study: Burn areas often serve as critical research sites for scientists studying fire ecology and recovery processes. Minimizing disturbances ensures accurate data collection and a better understanding of how ecosystems recover from wildfires.

7. Plant Native Plants at Home: Displaced wildlife are struggling with the loss of plants that provide them food. Help your local birds, butterflies, bees and other animal neighbors by planting native plants local to your area. Our local fauna has lived alongside native plants for thousands of years, so they find them most familiar, comforting, and useful. Try to choose local species that provide fruit or flowers! Local nurseries like Theodore Payne can help you figure out what to plant.

More native plant nurseries: Artemisia Nursery (Monterey Park), Santa Clarita Native Plant Nursery (Valencia), Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery (Altadena, survived the fires so support them if you can! Longer list: https://calscape.org/california-nurseries)

7. Understand and Respect the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI): The WUI is the zone where natural areas meet human developments. This interface is particularly vulnerable to wildfires and requires careful management to balance the needs of people and nature. Burned areas in the WUI often play a critical role in buffering communities from future fire risks while simultaneously serving as key recovery zones for wildlife and vegetation. Especially if you live close to a natural burn area, understand that animals will likely take shelter in your yard and the surrounding areas, please respect them and know that they are just trying to survive. If you see hurt animals, please get in touch with your local Animal Control district and/or a local wildlife hospital (California Wildlife Center, Pasadena Humane Society, Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center).

8. Your own safety: If all these reasons don’t convince you, you should at least care about your own safety. The ground after devastating wildfires is incredibly prone to erosion and walking on it can cause massive slides. Coupled with the recent rains, trails are incredibly dangerous, and going on them can tax essential resources that are needed elsewhere. Just today someone was rescued from a hiking trail in Altadena after they were trapped by a mudslide (story here: https://tinyurl.com/AltadenaMountainRescue)

Every year 25-50 people are killed by debris flow and mudslides in the US alone. Don’t add to those statistics (source: https://tinyurl.com/CDCdebris)

*A word of caution with wildflower seed mixes: Many mixes are sold as “California” wildflower mixes, but contain harmful invasive and non-native species, like cornflowers, sweet alyssum, Siberian wallflower, etc. These mixes do more harm than good by crowding out native flowers, which support our pollinators and ecosystems most effectively. Stick to local California native species, which you can find using Calscape (calscape.org). Walquaqsh California Native Seeds, Theodore Payne Nursery, and Tree of Life Nursery are great places to buy California native seeds.

Our local ecosystems are resilient, but they need time and undisturbed space to recover. By staying out of burn areas, you are playing a vital role in helping our environment and wildlife recover naturally.

Sincerely,

A concerned Angeleno

How You Can Help:

• Respect all posted signage and closures in burn areas.

• Educate friends, family, and neighbors about the importance of staying out of these regions.

• Support restoration efforts through volunteer work with local conservation organizations once it is safe to do so.

• If you are able, donate to organizations doing restoration work, like the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority (MRCA) and the Resource Conservation District of Santa Monica Mountains (RCDSMM).

• Donate (if able) and/or Volunteer for wildlife care facilities

·      California Wildlife Center (Malibu/Calabasas) https://cawildlife.org/

·      Pasadena Humane Society https://pasadenahumane.org/

·      Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center (Orange County), https://www.wwccoc.org/  

• Consider participating in educational programs to learn about fire ecology and the importance of natural regeneration.

• Share this post!

TL;DR: How You Can Help Wildfire Recovery

Dear Angelenos,
Our natural landscapes need time to recover from recent wildfires. Here are key ways you can help:

1. Stay Out of Burn Areas: Avoid hiking or exploring these fragile zones to allow plants and wildlife to recover naturally. Foot traffic can spread invasive species and damage new growth.

2. Prevent Soil Erosion: Avoid walking, biking, or driving in burned areas to protect soil stability and water quality.

3. Give Wildlife Space: Animals displaced by the fires need time to return and adapt to their habitats. Keep your distance.

4. Protect Fire-Adapted Plants: Fire-dependent plants like Calochortus lilies rely on burns to thrive. Avoid trampling these species or introducing invasive plants through seed scattering.

5. Avoid Scattering Seeds: Native plants are adapted to regenerate naturally. Seed mixes often contain invasive species that harm ecosystems.

6. Plant Native Species at Home: Help wildlife by planting native plants in your yard, supporting birds, bees, and butterflies.

7. Understand the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI): Respect this crucial area where nature meets human development. Protect it for wildlife recovery and fire prevention.

8. Safety First: Burn areas are dangerous due to erosion and mudslides. Protect yourself and avoid taxing emergency resources.

For further action: Respect closures, volunteer with restoration efforts, and donate to wildlife care facilities. Our ecosystems will recover with time and your help!

Sources -

•            National Park Service: Fire Ecology and Recovery (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fire/fire-ecology.htm)

•            U.S. Forest Service: The Science of Fire Recovery (https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire)

•            California Native Plant Society: Fire Followers and Adapted Plants (https://www.cnps.org/)

•            Scientific American: The Role of Wildfires in Ecosystem Health (https://www.scientificamerican.com/)

•            Fire Ecology Journal: Research Articles on Post-Fire Recovery (https://fireecology.springeropen.com/)

•            National Wildlife Federation: Wildfires and Wildlife (https://www.nwf.org/)

•            Audubon Society: How Are Birds in Burn Areas Impacted (https://ca.audubon.org/news/how-do-californias-megafires-impact-birds)

•            Audubon Society: How Birds Help Burn Areas Recover (https://ca.audubon.org/news/fire-and-birds-0)

•            U.S. Geological Survey: Wildfires and Ecosystem Recovery (https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/wildland-fire-science/tools)

•            Xerces Society: Pollinators and Post-Fire Recovery (https://www.xerces.org/blog/forests-fires-and-insects)

•            Type Conversion (invasive colonization of burn areas) (https://californiachaparral.org/__static/d98729d2f1dc648487ef69b8c9ac1991/type-conversion-definition-v2.pdf?dl=1#:~:text=Type%20conversion%20as%20related%20to,due%20to%20single%20or%20multiple)

•            Further reading on Type Conversion: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eap.2626

•            Also see: https://californiachaparral.org/threats/too-much-fire/

•            https://calscape.org/Calochortus-splendens-(Splendid-Mariposa-Lily)

•            https://www.usfa.fema.gov/wui/what-is-the-wui.html

LA Times, Impacted Hiking Trails:

⁃            https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2025-01-22/palisades-fire-hiking-trails-burned-santa-monica-mountains

⁃            https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2025-01-21/hiking-trails-burned-eaton-fire-angeles-national-forest

⁃            https://www.latimes.com/travel/newsletter/2025-01-23/the-wild-hiking-trails-burned-palisades-eaton-fires-the-wild

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