On the next day we crossed over the Santa Cruz Mountains from which we had sublime views of the scenery, first looking east toward the lower Bay of San Francisco, with the bright plains of Santa Clara and San Jose and then to the west upon the ocean, the town of Monterey being visible sixty miles off
Memoirs of W.T. Sherman
Sherman wrote in the late spring or early summer 1848 of his rides on mounted horseback from Monterey to San Jose and San Francisco.
The Santa Cruz mountains form part of the Pacific Coast Ranges along the ridge south of San Francisco and north of Monterey CA. To avoid summer beach traffic when I’m returning from the coast side I’ve taken the back roads through the mountains. The roads snake through a dense magical redwood forest. At times coastal fog obscure where the road borders a significant vertical drop. The vista of the plains Sherman speaks of is at the ridge’s crest. Except now the vast horizon of fruited plains is replaced by the suburban sprawl of Silicon Valley. These mountains are the site of the CZU Lightning Complex Fires that erupted in Northern California early in the morning August 16, 2020 after an extraordinary storm. Four weeks later the CZU fires have been declared fully contained but not before destroying more than 300,00 mostly wooded acres. Big Basin Redwoods, California’s oldest state park (established in 1902) lost its historic headquarters and lodge. It’s yet to be confirmed to what extent old growth redwoods affected by the fires will remain intact. On the other hand, Skyline ridge to the north remains unscathed as well as heavily populated communities of the valleys below. Until recently many of the state’s national forest parks including Yosemite and Sequoia National Forest were closed due to lingering smoke and unhealthy air quality. Still the world’s largest giant sequoia, the General Sherman Tree, stands tall—for now.
Seasonal wildfires are a regular pattern of summer and fall in California. With over 7,000 wildfires consuming more than 3 million acres, the fires of 2020 break all previous records. More than 19,000 firefighters are deployed in areas throughout California. Words can’t express our gratitude for heroic efforts of first responders in saving lives, homes and containing further spread of destruction.
Climate change contributes to the intensity and perhaps frequency of wildfires. But there are other factors to consider. Large land mass of forests, shrubs and grasslands all could benefit from managed burns to reduce the undergrowth of tinder fueling rapid spreads of fire and in some cases destruction and loss of life. Indigenous peoples of California practiced intentional fire burns to protect forests and grasslands. It’s generally agreed that controlled burns are effective in reducing brush and undergrowth which when coupled with hot dry wind cause erratic wild fires. Why managed fires are not implemented more often could be linked to logistical and political complications. Creating a strategy that satisfies all constituents as well as allocating the funds necessary to better manage forests seems like a utopian dream amidst the larger crisis wreaked by COVID-19. Yet maybe these two ongoing events shouldn’t be view as entirely isolated. Both crises require intelligent, innovative and persistent attention.
Sherman who was acutely interested in terrain and topography used his knowledge to shape logistical solutions applied to allocation of resources and movement of supplies. He had little tolerance if any for lack of due diligence or ineptitude due to government irresponsibility and political infighting. I’d like to think that for the most part various government agencies work together to spend our tax dollars judiciously to develop solutions for the common good. Often it proves to be otherwise.
We can wait and even pray for rain, which hopefully will come by the end of October. We should continue to expect accountability and transparency on management of lands both public and privately held. The U.S. Department of the Interior/Bureau of Land Management restrictions provides accessible information concerning policies. Similarly Cal Fire https://www.fire.ca.gov posts daily updates.Would it be too much to hope for equitable, efficient and strategic collaboration between federal, and state government and stakeholders of privately owned lands to work together to implement solutions for at risk lands?
In either case now would be California’s opportunity to implement and improve strategies for wildfire management. Local, state and federal government partnering with urban, neighborhood and rural communities, businesses and other stakeholders need to work together. For over seven decades Smokey the Bear has reminded us that care will prevent 9 out of 10 wildfires. Extreme weather patterns and climate changes still lie beyond our understanding and control. But the future of California’s forests, coast, desert and grasslands is entirely weighted and measured by care of each and everyone of us who is blessed to call this beautiful land our home.
