In the previous post, Mutuality, a distinction between the fires in California scrublands so recently in the news and fires in western forests was made, but not well. It isn't just that the development patterns are different, the landscape and vegetation are different. We may hear these coastal scrublands referred to as forests but the dominant vegetation in these areas is low growing desert shrubs. Such lands are better described as chaparral than forests.

A recent USGS report highlights this distinction and explains why fire suppression efforts in these areas is a profoundly different issue than in western forests.

...research by the U.S. Geological Survey on fire in the region reveals that to effectively manage fires to help prevent loss of life and property in Southern California shrublands, it is essential to understand the natural role of fire in chaparral ecosystems.

Large, high-intensity fires sweep the landscape in this region each year, threatening lives and homes, as is occurring with such devastation in this area. Ecologists have long known that chaparral ecosystems burn extensively and often, and that much of the dominant vegetation in these systems is highly adapted to a fire-prone environment. Many native plants here have seeds that require fire to germinate, or need the kind of disturbed habitat fires leave behind to grow. It was long thought that fire suppression played the same role in chaparral shrublands as it has in forests, creating a build-up of fuels that can eventually lead to more destructive fires.

“Past fire suppression is not to blame for causing large shrubland wildfires, nor has it proven effective in halting them,” said Dr. Jon Keeley, a USGS fire researcher who studies both southern California shrublands and Sierra Nevada forests. “Under Santa Ana conditions, fires carry through all chaparral regardless of age class. Therefore, prescribed burning programs over large areas to remove old stands and maintain young growth as bands of firebreaks resistant to ignition are futile at stopping these wildfires.”

...

They found that although fire suppression is critical to protect homes, buildings and other structures, fire suppression does not prevent large wildland fires in southern California shrublands because these fires usually occur with powerful Santa Ana winds that blow at high speeds from the desert to the coast. In the present fire, hot Santa Ana winds of over 60 mph greatly increased the intensity and the movement of the fire. These winds occur each autumn, at the time when natural fuels are driest.

Structures in these areas will burn despite fire suppression efforts unless the properties are fire resistant. The structures themselves can be sheathed in incombustible materials such as stucco and be roofed in mineral based materials. Clearing chaparral a good distance from the structures is critical. Landscaping needs to be fire resistant and on site fire suppression capabilities are valuable.