{"id":17297,"date":"2021-08-05T07:38:51","date_gmt":"2021-08-05T14:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sempervirens.org\/?p=17297"},"modified":"2023-10-16T13:51:42","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T20:51:42","slug":"czu-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sempervirens.org\/news\/czu-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"CZU Anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\t\tOne Year After the CZU Fire\n\t<\/h1>\n

\n\t\tRestoring Redwoods at Big Basin
and in the Santa Cruz Mountains\n\t<\/h3>\n\t

On August 16, 2020 a climate-fueled-weather event sparked the most catastrophic fire ever recorded in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Over the next month, fire raged through the region impacting lives, communities, parks, and some of the most ancient and beloved remaining coast redwood forests in the world. A year later, we look back at the CZU Fire, the response and recovery that followed, and how we can best plan and prepare for what lies ahead. You can also join California State Parks with Reimagining Big Basin<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDonate Now\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t

photo by Ian Bornarth.<\/p>\n\t

A Big Fire In Big Basin \u00bb\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\t

Response and Recovery \u00bb\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\t

A Future with Fire \u00bb\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\t

A Big Fire in Big Basin<\/p>\n\t

photo by Inklein.<\/p>\n\t

On August 16th last year an unprecedented dry lightning storm struck the Santa Cruz Mountains igniting fires in Big Basin and Butano State Parks to the north, and in the south along the border of San Vicente Redwoods and Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument. The fires in Big Basin grew to 40,000 acres overnight, engulfing California’s oldest state park and it’s beloved, ancient coast redwood trees.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\tRead on to look back at the CZU fire.<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\"Sara

Sara Barth, Sempervirens Fund’s Executive Director, takes in the CZU fire damage to redwoods in Big Basin State Park’s Sempervirens Fund’s Legacy Grove.<\/p><\/div>\n

We watched aghast as the fire spread through the park<\/a> and beyond, threatening the homes and lives of people. As emergency crews worked tirelessly to save lives and homes, we were able to take immediate action by coordinating access to our properties, fire roads, water tanks, and fuel breaks to help slow the spread of fire to nearby communities. Shaded fuel breaks throughout San Vicente Redwoods, and coordination with the Bureau of Land Management and CalFire helped keep fire from Davenport and nearby communities in Bonny Doon.<\/p>\n

Seeing redwood forests raging with fire was shocking. As news reports<\/a> rolled in, we held on to hope that the naturally fire-resilient redwood forests<\/a> and other fire-adapted plants might survive the catastrophic fire despite it burning hotter, higher, and longer than any in the region’s recorded history. The fire continued for more than 30 days before it was officially contained thanks to the valiant efforts of firefighters and response crews.<\/p>\n

As the smoke cleared, we grieved, shared memories<\/a>, assessed the damage, and looked ahead to what recovery means for Big Basin and Santa Cruz redwoods<\/a>. More than 86,000 acres, including homes, Big Basin’s iconic buildings, countless trees, and 99% of the protected lands<\/a> we manage burned in the CZU Lightning Complex Fire. It was heart wrenching to see the loss of life, homes, and the redwood forests of Big Basin. For more than a century we have protected Big Basin’s forests and expanded the park we have all come to cherish. Around the world, many shared Big Basin Memories<\/a>. Today, you can share your Big Basin photo in our August photo contest Celebrating Big Basin<\/a> as we reimagine its future.<\/p>\n

To learn more about fire resiliency in redwood forests watch Signs of Life: Forests in Recovery<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can also join California State Parks with Reimagining Big Basin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The CZU fire’s 86,000-acre perimeter included Big Basin and most of Sempervirens Fund’s properties.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\tHow long before burned redwoods look red again?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\"A<\/a>

A timeline for redwoods recovering from fire. Illustrations by Shirley Chambers.<\/p><\/div>\n

The CZU fire transformed California’s oldest state park in a matter of hours. Its effects will linger for hundreds of years. The forest is expected to rebound, eventually, more or less-but when? How long until the forest looks, feels, sounds, and smells like the place I knew?<\/p>\n

“As the tree grows, those black parts will get sloughed off,” said Zane Moore, a redwood ecologist who’s pursuing a PhD at UC Davis. In 20 years, he reckons the trunks will be about half red again. In 40 years, just a few scarred furrows will remain. “Anytime you’re in an old growth stand, you’ll see scars from past fires. They never necessarily get rid of all of it,” Moore says.<\/p>\n

Read more about the time it takes nature to heal.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\tBig Basin & Fire News\n\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"In\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

Wildfire Damages Much of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Fate of Big Trees Unknown<\/a><\/h4>\t\t\n\t\t\t

Los Angeles Times, 8\/20\/20<\/p>\nRead<\/a>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"In\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

Redwoods Survive Wildfire at California’s Oldest State Park<\/a><\/h4>\t\t\n\t\t\t

Associated Press, 8\/24\/20<\/p>\nRead<\/a>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"In\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

Some Good News: Many of Big Basin’s Ancient Redwoods Appear to Have Survived<\/a><\/h4>\t\t\n\t\t\t

KQED, 8\/25\/20<\/p>\nRead<\/a>\t\t\n\t

Response and Recovery<\/p>\n\t

photo by Ian Bornarth.<\/p>\n\t

Before last year’s CZU fire was under control, response efforts began. We are extremely grateful for your support to help Big Basin recover from the fire. As recovery work got underway at State Parks, we redoubled our efforts to care for our lands. Although a staggering 99% of the lands we manage burned, stewardship and restoration is helping forest recovery and will further protect nearby communities. You can watch as our Natural Resource Manager Beatrix Jimenez and Photographer Ian Bornarth revisit one of our forests just months after flames<\/a> tore across the landscape. And although most redwoods will survive, it will be decades before most of the worst-hit trees look like themselves again<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Expand the topics below to read on about the response and recovery that followed the CZU fire.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\tFrom Fire to Funding<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\"Land

Land Director Laura McLendon surveys Big Basin State Park with Rangers after the CZU Fire.<\/p><\/div>\n

Before the fire was under control, response efforts began. We were joined by Save the Redwoods League to quickly launch the Big Basin Recovery Fund<\/a> to support critical redwoods restoration and recovery efforts at the park and a Santa Cruz Redwood Restoration Fund to help with redwood restoration efforts in Butano State Park and redwood forests affected throughout the region.<\/p>\n

We are extremely grateful for your response. More than\u00a0 $660,000 was raised to help Big Basin recover<\/a> from the wildfire. By December, the first $200,000 was disbursed for initial efforts focused on access and safety improvements<\/a> to remove fallen or “hazard” trees likely to fall harming staff and crews, or other trees along 100 miles of park roads and trails, prepare for winter storms, and begin the long-term planning of reimagining Big Basin Redwoods State Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read more about how the Big Basin Recovery Fund Supports Access and Safety Improvements<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\tSafety and Stewardship<\/a>\n

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 <\/p>\nView this post on Instagram\n

 <\/p>\n

A post shared by Sempervirens Fund (@sempervirensfund)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<\/a>Safety and Stewardship\n

As recovery efforts began at State Parks, we were facing many of the same challenges in our surrounding protected forests alongside Big Basin and Butano State Parks, and at San Vicente Redwoods. 10,916 acres of the more than 11,000 we currently manage were burned by the CZU Lightning Complex Fire.<\/p>\n

Eager to aid the fire-adapted redwood forests<\/a> in their recovery, we redoubled our stewardship efforts to care for the land<\/a>. We coordinated efforts to clear roadways of dangerous trees, replace important infrastructure, such as culverts, bridges, wildlife monitoring equipment, and gates, and began assessments of the ecological toll the fire might have on the region. Ongoing research will help us and our partners document the ethnobotanical and other effects of the fire on the region’s rich complex of habitats.<\/p>\n

With little to no remaining vegetation to help keep the soil from washing away in the winter’s rains, removing debris and repairing infrastructure minimizes potential after effects of fire such as erosion and landslides. Fortunately there were no major rain events this past winter, but low precipitation in California is generating extreme drought conditions.<\/p>\n

While many native plants thrive after wildfire<\/a>, so do opportunistic invasive plants like French broom and yellow star thistle which take advantage of the burned, barren soil. Prior to the fires, and with the help of more than 400 volunteer and intern hours, 30 football fields worth of invasive plants were removed, which will help native fire-adapted species to regrow.<\/p>\n

Throughout the winter fern fronds unfurled, redwood trees “fuzzed out” with new green sprouts, and the forests showed other hopeful signs of recovery<\/a>. Botanical studies are being conducted on the properties to measure the health and recovery of the habitat as well as to search for rare plants<\/a> like “fire followers,” that can sprout from dormant underground seeds awakened by the fire. In some areas, where the effects of the fire may prove to be too damaging-burning away even fire-adapted plants or leaving behind dangerous chemicals like arsenic-we are sampling soils, reseeding native plants, and planting coast redwood saplings to restore healthy habitat better prepared for climate change and the return of wildfire.<\/p>\n

To learn more about rare and interesting plants like “fire followers”, watch Treasure Hunting in the Santa Cruz Mountains<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\tLooking Back to Plan Ahead<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t

We cannot predict how rapidly changing and increasingly extreme climate events will impact redwood forests, but we can look back at our resiliency efforts to plan ahead for an uncertain future. Earlier stewardship projects to manage our lands for and with fire<\/a> helped to slow the spread of fire through our forests-protecting nearby communities.<\/p>\n