CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Understanding the Geographic Impacts and Causation of the 2017 Thomas Fire Towards Improved Wildfire Mitigation Policy for WUI Communities A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Arts in Geography By Donald Kress May 2020 i Table of Contents Signature Page The thesis of Donald Kress is approved: ______________________________________ ______________ Dr. Sean Anderson Date ______________________________________ ______________ Dr. Mario Geraldo Date ______________________________________ ______________ Dr. Ronald Davidson, Chair Date California State University, Northridge ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements To my family, friends, fellow students, and professors, You all have my sincere and heartfelt appreciation for your, support, encouragement, and your example. When I was feeling tired, lazy, uninspired, or inadequate to the task at hand you believed in me, helped me and inspired me. To my undergraduate professors, Dr. Allen, Dr. Bowen, Dr. Danta, and Dr. Lobb, more than 20 years ago you welcomed me into your department, “Berkley South” as I would call it. Through each of you, I was able to stand on the shoulders of giants, as you had with Carl Sauer. I am immensely grateful for you your friendship, knowledge and the academic confidence you instilled in me. To my graduate professors in the present, Dr. Adhikari, Dr. Drake, Dr. Craine, Dr. Giraldo, Dr. Graves, and Dr. Orme, once again, you welcomed me into your department. In addition to the subjects we studied, I learned things from each of you that extended beyond academics. Thank you for all you have done. Your kindness, humanity, and commitment to public service inspires me and I plan to carry it forward. To Dr. Davidson and Dr. Anderson, thank you for your friendship, assistance, patience, confidence, and the freedom to follow my interests. iii Table of Contents Table of Contents SIGNATURE PAGE .......................................................................................................... II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. III TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. IV LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... VII LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... VII ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... X CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH ........................................................................................... 2 STUDY AREA.................................................................................................................... 4 REGIONAL FIRE HISTORY................................................................................................. 5 Firefighting History and Technology........................................................................ 13 CHAPTER 2: ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN IMPACTS RESULTING FROM THE THOMAS FIRE ....................................................................................................... 16 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ............................................................................................ 17 Wilderness Areas ...................................................................................................... 17 Soils........................................................................................................................... 18 Montecito Debris Flow ............................................................................................. 20 Aerial Deposition of Toxins...................................................................................... 22 Habitat Loss .............................................................................................................. 24 Vegetation Conversion.............................................................................................. 25 HUMAN IMPACTS ........................................................................................................... 26 iv Table of Contents Health Issues ............................................................................................................. 27 Loss Of Life .......................................................................................................... 27 Air Quality ............................................................................................................ 28 Psychological Trauma ........................................................................................... 29 Disruption of Infrastructure ...................................................................................... 30 Disruption of Social Services.................................................................................... 31 Economics ................................................................................................................. 32 Agriculture Industry .............................................................................................. 32 Retail Sales............................................................................................................ 32 Property Loss and Damage ................................................................................... 33 Fire Suppression.................................................................................................... 34 Changes To the Built Landscape .............................................................................. 35 Litigation ................................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER 3: CAUSATION FACTORS LEADING TO THE THOMAS FIRE ............ 36 ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSATION FACTORS ....................................................................... 37 Increased Temperatures ............................................................................................ 37 Drought ..................................................................................................................... 39 Increased Fuels.......................................................................................................... 40 Topography ............................................................................................................... 42 Winds ........................................................................................................................ 44 ANTHROPOGENIC CAUSATION FACTORS ........................................................................ 47 Forest Management ................................................................................................... 48 Controlled Burns ................................................................................................... 49 v Table of Contents Tree Thinning........................................................................................................ 51 Fuel Breaks ........................................................................................................... 52 Defensible Space ................................................................................................... 53 Areas Of Vulnerability .............................................................................................. 53 Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) ......................................................................... 53 Commercial Oil and Gas Operations .................................................................... 59 Infrastructure Failure ................................................................................................ 61 Power Lines .......................................................................................................... 61 Municipal Water System....................................................................................... 64 Agency Wildfire Response ....................................................................................... 67 CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................ 69 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 81 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................. 84 ENDNOTES ..................................................................................................................... 95 vi Table of Contents List of Figures Figure 1. Map of Ventura County fire history...............................................................11 Figure 2. Fire area County and City view 1901–1920 with Thomas Fire perimeter….12 Figure 3. Fire area County and City view 1921–1950 with Thomas Fire perimeter.…12 Figure 4. Fire area County and City view 1951–1980 with Thomas Fire perimeter….12 Figure 5. Fire area County and City view 1981–2010 with Thomas Fire perimeter….12 Figure 6. Ventura County acres burned by year………………………………………16 Figure 7. Burn area within the Las Padres National Forest………………………...…18 Figure 8. Burned trunk of tree exposing xylem and phloem...…………………...…...19 Figure 9. Water droplets on top of hydrophobic