A History of a Fire, Beaver, & the Wetlands of a Neighborhood Park
Fire burning adjacent to neighborhood houses during the driest months in California is something most all of us hopes never to see.
In August 2012 two fires burned in areas of land to the south of the creek and Monte Verde Park of Rocklin, CA. Taken the day after the fire, the feature photo above shows the largest of the two areas that burned. In this image the green of the wetlands can be seen in the distance looking north towards the creek while in the next image neighborhood houses to the south can be seen in the background. There are many possible reasons why these fires didn’t spread out further. One reason is that Rocklin Fire Department was quick to arrive at the spot.
Monte Verde Wetlands 2012
Map from Google Earth of Monte Verde Wetlands area August 2012. Arrow indicates where the larger of the two fires occurred. (Although not confirmed neighbors recall that arson was suspected as the cause.)
The Fireproofing effects of Wetlands
What else might have helped to reduce the burn area of the 2012 fire? – the fireproofing effect that the wetlands had upon the event likely played a part. Vegetation retaining water within and along the creek wetlands did not burn (see image). By this observation it can be reasoned that wetlands that are wider and retain more groundwater have the potential to increase these fireproof effects.
Cattails and other riparian vegetation of the creek area appeared to be relatively fire resistant but dried portions of the non-native Pampas grass (known for its flammable nature) burnt quickly. Despite this, the clump of Pampas grass in this image grew back to its former size in a short period of time.
Beaver Activity Means More Water In The Soil, Vegetation, & Landscape.
Search the internet with keywords like beaver & fire and it is likely you will encounter images of undeveloped land where a wildfire swept through and turned all to ashy black except for a green strip of life remaining within the borders of beaver activity. See an example of this at this link (https://twitter.com/fluvialwheaton/status/1037564152380682240/photo/1 ).
In 2012 beaver dams could be found in several areas along the creek by Monte Verde Park. One of the most notable benefits that beavers bring to the land is the fireproofing effects they create by shaping the waterway so that more water is retained in a wider space both above ground and below.
With California’s history of drought the importance of storing water in our land should never be overlooked. Water is the currency of all living things and the more you have in the “bank” literally the more there is for difficult times. Smaller fluctuations in water available to the living things that require it helps make our ecosystems more resilient to environment stressors.
The balance between protection from fire & from Flood in the urban setting is a tricky problem to solve.
The balance between protection from fire and from flood in the urban setting is a tricky problem to solve. Removing vegetation and adding paved surfaces may reduce fire risk but increases flood issues caused by more storm water runoff with less water absorbed into the ground. Erosion of soil not held in place by plant roots can complicate this further by sediment deposit in culverts and in other ways that make flooding events more extreme. Often planning decisions made do not take into account the needs of the natural habitat and its value it provides.
Absorption of water into the ground is the one event that helps with both the fire and flooding issue and as a bonus it helps reduce the effects of drought. This is one of the reasons why planning decisions that include setbacks with adequate space for bankside riparian vegetation to function well are so important. Healthy streams stay connected to their floodplain and retain water in the habitat during drier seasons.
Beavers are often blamed for causing flooding issues in urban environments yet this may be more an issue of how much of a buffer is allowed for besides a waterway and how their activity is managed. If parts of the floodplain are obstructed by human made components the problem becomes more complex to solve. However this doesn’t mean that solutions are not possible. If managed the right way, nature can help us lessen the potential effects of fire, drought, and floods.
More Information About Beavers, Fire, & Drought
Link to the research done by Emily Fairfax https://emilyfairfaxscience.com/research/firebeavers/