The Fires This Time: Post-Fire Recovery Best Practices Fall 2007
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the newsletter of Los Angeles & San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council WatershedWise The Fires This Time: Post-Fire Recovery Best Practices Fall 2007 1 Multi-Agency Planning after the Griffith Park Fire 3 Post-Fire Management for Griffith Park 6 Taking Care of LAs' Chaparral Isle in the Sky 9 Post-Fire Emergency Treatments for Erosion Control 10 Wildlife Response to the Griffith Park Fire 12 Lessons from Catalina Island Fire: Managing Invasives Volume 11, Number 1 Volume BOARD OF DIRECTORS Daniel Griset, President Southern California Association of Governments Margaret Clark, Vice President To facilitate an inclusive consensus process to preserve, restore, and enhance City of Rosemead the economic, social, and ecological health of the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rebecca Drayse, Vice President TreePeople Rivers watershed through education, research, and planning. Diego Cadena, Secretary (Mark Pestrella - Alt.) County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Tim Worley, Treasurer Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Dorothy Green, President Emeritus from the Founding President letter Arthur Golding, A.I.A Arthur Golding and Associates Editor Paula Daniels (Shahram Kharaghani - Alt.) City of Los Angeles - Board of Public Works By Drew Ready - LASGRWC Sustainable Landscape Program / Watershed Coordinator Gerry Miller (R. Prieto, C. Modica, Jr. - Alts.) City of Los Angeles - Office of Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Green (Mary Zauner - Alt.) Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County or most of May 8th I was glued to the images of Griffith Park ablaze. KTLA was covering the fire from the air with a high-definition, Belinda Faustinos (Alina Bokde - Alt.) San Gabriel and Lower L.A. Rivers & Mts. Conservancy gyro-stabilized camera, the type usually used for capturing sweeping Flandscapes in big budget movies. The pictures were so clear I could tell a Jerome Daniel (Rorie Skei - Alt.) Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy/MRCA laurel sumac from a toyon. Invasive Eucalyptus were easily distinguished from exotic pines as their leaves and branches ignited, burst into flames, Robert Reid Southern California Edison and shot glowing embers high into the air. Robb Whitaker (E. Lopez - Alt.) Water Replenishment District As the fires were extinguished at Griffith Park, Watershed Council Gerrie Schipske staff envisioned a symposium that connected the region’s ecological City of Long Beach restoration experts with city engineers and environmental specialists. Mark Grey What negative effects will the fire and resulting sediment flows have Building Industry Association of Southern California in our watershed? Did city staff know about the irreversible damage hydroseeding can do to the chaparral? And what was the plan to control OFFICIAL LIAISONS (non-voting) invasive weeds? We know city staff are capable, but were they up on the latest research and best practices? Were we? Jody Noiron (Sherry Rollman, Alt.) Angeles National Forest Carl Blum At our suggestion of a symposium to address these and many other American Society of Civil Engineers questions, the City recommended a joint effort. We put together an Christopher Kroll indepth program and assembled a veritable dream-team of widely California Coastal Conservancy published and highly regarded experts from throughout the state. The Betsy Landis resulting symposium and field trip were very well attended and judging California Native Plant Society from the enthusiastic feedback it was by all measures a success. Several Sean Woods on the panel even went on to contribute to the recovery plan, graciously California State Parks lending the city their time and knowledge. Considerable credit goes to Shelly Backlar the Recreation and Parks Department staff Mike Shull, David Attaway, Friends of the Los Angeles River Peggy Nguyen and Paul Davis for their foresight and partnership. Shirley Birosik Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board The wildlands of Griffith Park have already begun to recover. Green Larry Smith (Scott Wilson - Alt.) stems and leaves are unfurling from the burnt branches and root burls North East Trees of native plants. Fire scarred seeds are awaiting winter rains. With a Melanie Winter recovery plan in place that protects area residents and the park’s natural The River Project resources, we can look forward to the fire-following wildflower displays Dan Sulzer that will paint the hills next spring. Be sure to hit the trails and see them U.S. Army Corp of Engineers for yourself; the news coverage won’t do them justice. Steven John (Howard Kahan - Alt.) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency And from the Executive Director, Nancy L.C. Steele Nancy L.C. Steele, D.Env. The Symposium on which this newsletter is based took place before this fall’s dev- Executive Director astating wildfire storms. The Watershed Council hopes this issue of WatershedWise Los Angeles & San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council will contribute to the body of knowledge that guides the good work of municipalities 700 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 and land management agencies as they plan their recovery efforts. Our hearts go P: 213-229-9945 F: 213-229-9952 out to those who lost their homes and loved ones. W: www.lasgrwc.org This newsletter is printed on recycled paper by Cover photo - Griffith Park Fire - Eric Castro & DR Graphics, Marina del Rey, CA In the Aftermath of the May 8th Griffith Park Fire: Reported By: Participatory Dept. of Recreation & Parks, Planning of Post-Fire City of Los Angeles Debris Flows, And Mayor Antonia R. Villaraigosa Erosion Control, Councilman Tom LaBonge Rehabilitation General Manager Jon Kirk Mukri Article photos provided by Craig Kunesh I. INTRODUCTION II. PLANNING WITH A MULTI- roads in the burn area of debris and AGENCY TASK FORCE hazardous materials. As this field On May 8, 2007, a brush fire broke work continued, RAP staff assembled out in Griffith Park, and over the A. The Three-Phase Plan a team of technical experts to advise course of the next two days, con- After the fire was contained, RAP the Department on how to move for- sumed over 800 acres of park land. staff met with Department of Public ward with the critical work of erosion The fire caused significant damage Works Bureau of Engineering (BOE) mitigation and burn area restora- in the canyons and peaks north staff and other agency representa- tion. RAP staff contacted technical and east of Mount Hollywood, and tives to devise a Preliminary Fire experts in a variety of fields to assist destroyed a number of hiking trails, Recovery Plan that was issued on the Department in the development overlooks, and view sheds. The ma- May 11, 2007. It was a 3-phase plan of this Fire Recovery Plan. Experts jority of Mixed Chaparral and Mixed for the fire recovery: from a variety of federal, state, and Shrub plant communities in the burn local government agencies and from areas were destroyed with significant Phase 1: May – July 2007: Assess- local community groups convened damage to the oaks, sycamores, and ments/Emergency Debris Re- to discuss the Fire Recovery Plan, and other woodland communities. The moval/Erosion Control Design to offer aid, and share resources and fire and its effects were declared a expert advice. It was determined local emergency by Mayor Antonio Phase 2: July - Dec 2007: during the first meeting that the goal Villaraigosa. While the damage to Erosion and Debris Flow Con- of the Team was to develop a fire the existing ecosystem is critical, trol/Restoration Design recovery plan for Griffith Park that is most of the Park’s native trees and science- and data-based. It was also shrubs will recover naturally over the Phase 3: May 2007 – July 2010: determined that the first step was next 10-15 years. The Department Restoration to gather data before the evidence of Recreation Parks (RAP) is currently disappeared. developing and implementing the B. Bringing Together the Griffith following action plan to provide tem- Park Fire Recovery Team As a result, the first meetings and porary soil stabilization to allow for As part of Phase I of the Recovery steps taken emphasized assessments natural recovery as well as to protect Plan, RAP emergency field crews and data-gathering. In order to ac- property and public safety. began to work on clearing access complish this, the Team was initially ...continued on p. 2 WatershedWise | Fall 07 1 divided up into four teams: Emer- was also responsible for identifying C. Erosion and Debris Control Plan gency Debris Removal, Watershed community needs, forming imple- As part of the erosion and debris con- Hydrogeology and Infrastructure mentation strategies and garnering trol plan developed by the Recovery Assessment, Watershed Ecological material and human resources for Team, RAP is implementing a hydro- Assessment and Restoration, and recruiting and coordinating volun- mulching project to provide tem- Public Outreach. The Emergency teers, soliciting donations as part of porary soil stabilization. During the Debris Removal Group was tasked the outreach message, employing second week of October, RAP began with emergency debris removal, outreach and awareness campaigns, applying hydromulch to slopes that hazard tree treatments, rock stabili- constructing and installing signs, and have a moderate to high soil erosion zation, clearing of streets and trails, conducting tours of the burn area. potential. The hydromulch will form cleaning out of existing storm drain an absorbent and protective layer system, utility pole assessment, and By May 30, aerial photos of the