How do land owners balance fire safety and conservation of sensitive species along the Central California coast?
First, there is the issue of fire safety and natural resources conservation. This is especially appropriate given the recent developments on the central coast. The problem is the need to provide fire safety to the public in general and private communities specifically by reducing fuel loads; this is an issue because of the rarity of the chaparral communities that are often targeted for fuels reduction. For example, at the Martin Road Ecological Reserve, CalFire and Fish and Game have organized fuels reduction and fire fighting access projects that could have implications for rare species. The same elsewhere, where property owners and ‘Fire Safe Councils’ are trying to clear roadside brush (eg., silver leaf manzanita) and running up against conservationists and conservation regulations. I am helping to facilitate a new group the ‘Central Coast Fire Learning Network’ which is bringing together researchers, fire safety agencies, and conservationists to explore ways to better plan for and
