by Colin Eldridge

Last December, Santa Barbara got almost half of its average annual rainfall in the course of just one week. Much of California experienced record-breaking rainfall in 2023, and now this trend has poured into 2024. Originally dubbed an “Atmospheric River,” these warm rain storms coming from the Pacific Ocean are often caused by El Niño, a natural climate pattern that occurs every 2-7 years.

Last year’s heavy rains have repeated this year, with the lake exceeding full capacity in early February. Anglers and recreational fishers will be happy to be able to take their boats out again, but happy tidings from heavy rains aren’t always reflected everywhere. Eighteen-foot waves pounded Jalama beach in late December, flooding the nearby campground. By January 2024, floods had wreaked havoc in several other parts of Santa Barbara, knocking over trees, causing road closures along Highway 154 and leaving residential areas under feet of water.

With mudslides on steep mountainsides, trees knocking over power lines and blocking roads, and floods amongst ill-equipped infrastructure, these torrential downpours can quickly become a recipe for disaster all over California, often having the most profound effect on socially vulnerable communities.

As our climate changes, California residents may continue to see more intense extreme weather patterns over time, which could mean more flooding and downpour when we get our much-needed rain, and longer and more intense drought periods when we don’t. Both of these scenarios, drought and extreme storms, can contribute to catastrophic wildfires.

Because most of California’s rainfall typically only occurs part of the year followed by periods of drought, opportunistic plants will rapidly grow during the rainy season in Winter and Spring. This explosion of green undergrowth in California’s forests, oak savannas, and woodlands tends to dry out by late Summer. While some might think flooding and extra rain would help dampen California’s fire season, the reality is that this extra undergrowth provides ample fuel for wildfire.

To make matters more interesting, areas that are scoured by catastrophic wildfire are often more prone to floods, because the vegetation that would normally absorb rainwater burns away. This fascinating connection between fire and water may seem worrisome, but we are not powerless in the face of these growing environmental challenges.

There are many things we can do in our communities right now to bolster our resilience to floods, drought, and wildfires. Emergency preparedness and updating our infrastructure are of utmost importance, but it’s also important for us to understand that these shorter-term measures will not fix the underlying problems of climate change or environmental degradation.

Here we will focus on long-term regeneration, which means reversing the damage that’s been done to our ecosystems while simultaneously improving human communities. Here are five regenerative ways we can all take responsibility for California’s climate resilience:

1. Plant Native Perennial Grasses

Did you know that before Europeans arrived, perennial year-round grasses were dominant in California ecosystems? Many invasive annual grasses were brought by settler colonialists for cattle pasture. These invasives become fuel for wildfire and erosion, because they have short root systems that don’t retain much moisture, and they produce lots of above-ground biomass that dies once they go to seed.

Native perennial grasses support fungal communities, which exchange nutrients with trees and retain moisture. Oak trees that grow in conjunction with native grasses may therefore be more healthy and resistant to wildfire. Keeping native plants on our slopes can also help prevent mudslides.

2. Use Fire-Resistant Landscaping

Unfortunately, a lot of the drought-tolerant plants that are used for landscaping California homes are also fire magnets. For example, pine trees and certain shrubs like lavender and rosemary are prone to burn bright when a fire sweeps through. Planting native fire-resistant species will help keep properties safer from wildfires. There are many options available, but xeriscaping with rocks and succulents (drought tolerant plats with low combustablity and high water content) is one way to reduce fire risk in residential neighborhoods.

3. Harvest Rainwater and Set Up Rain Gardens

Currently, much of California’s agricultural systems and lawns are watered by draining underground aquifers. This practice puts California at greater long-term risk of wildfire and drinking water depletion. Furthermore, grass lawns only soak up a tiny bit of rainwater, becoming saturated very quickly and running off into the storm drain during the rainy season. This runoff contributes to flooding in suburban and urban areas.

One alternative is to set up rainwater harvesting systems that help rainwater to slow down, spread out, sink in, and stay in the ground. Some examples include rain gardens, swales, mulch pits, ground covers, tanks and ponds that capture rainwater and hold it for longer, rather than quickly running off into streets and spillways.

4. Reuse Greywater

Greywater is the wastewater from washing our clothes, our bodies, and our dishes. Greywater can be reused, and plants love it.

It is estimated that the average American sends more than 14,000 gallons of greywater into the sewer each year. That’s enough water to sustain a 20×20 ft flower garden for over 4 years! Greywater systems are a simple solution that would help keep the land around buildings more lush and fire-resistant during the dry season, without wasting precious potable water.

However, it is important to note that greywater systems should be installed in compliance with your local water codes, to avoid health risks and contamination. Greywater is ideally used on plants that you won’t be eating.

5. Advocate Regenerative Water & Wildfire Management Policies

The above steps don’t necessarily require access to private land to implement, as they can be advocated in local governments and community spaces. A systemic shift on a larger scale would be needed to see substantial impact, especially in how the government manages water and wildfires. The first step in this shift is education.

One way we can move forward with our wildfire policies is by looking to the past. In pre-colonial California, the lands were stewarded by many indigenous peoples that practiced seasonal “cultural burning”. Cultural burning is like a low-intensity controlled or prescribed burn, with an essential indigenous cultural tradition for cultivating food and materials. In fact, Santa Barbara was once known to have regular plumes of smoke that rose throughout the hillsides as a result of Chumash cultural burns.

Both cultural burns and controlled burns have been used all over the world and have been shown to improve soil fertility, improve soil water absorption, and reduce fire fuel loads by burning the excess dry material in the understory.

Today, major wildfires have flames that reach the crowns of trees. Before cultural burns were banned in California, these types of devastating wildfires we see today were rare. Fire suppression policies have had a major impact on California’s fire-dependent ecosystems, where many native plants rely on fire for renewal, vitality, and reproduction.

You might be thinking, “wouldn’t more burning emit more greenhouse gases?” Yes and no. Prescribed burning semi-regularly would emit carbon dioxide and other harmful gases in the short term. At the same time, it would also promote healthy soil and vegetation, thus preventing future catastrophic wildfires and sequestering more carbon in the long run.

Much of the world’s water scarcity and greenhouse gas emissions are due to industrial agriculture, so one solution could also be to focus on regenerative farming in conjunction with controlled burns.

Controlled burns can go wrong quickly, however, so to be successful at a large scale there must be adequate education and advocacy of best practices. If controlled burns are not possible, however, at the very least land managers can help prevent catastrophic wildfires by clearing and woodchipping some (not all) underbrush and fallen limbs.

These measures are not appropriate everywhere, however. Controlled burns and thinning vegetation could be very destructive practices in delicate or endangered ecosystems where disturbing the land would do more harm than good to native species. This is why it is important for people to be informed of the unique ecosystems they work in and are properly trained beforehand.

The realm of water management in California has a long way to go, too. Building developments along major waterways and redirection of water away from natural wetlands is a recipe for future flooding. The demand for drinking water and water for agriculture is ever-growing, and allowing our underground aquifers to be over-pumped is a short-sighted solution that is permanently altering our landscapes, making California drier, more flood-prone and more fire-prone. Once aquifers are drained, they can’t be replenished.

Damming up our few remaining natural watersheds also has disastrous effects, such as wiping out our native fish populations by disrupting migration, destroying habitats, destroying carbon sinks in wetlands and oceans, depriving ecosystems of nutrients, increasing wastewater, increasing sea level, and displacing the communities that live where dams are built.

Practices like prolonged fire suppression, dams, wetland draining, and aquifer overpumping have already destroyed much of California’s ecosystems and have also led to devastating economic consequences. More regenerative policies could improve the quality of life for Californians and help our ecosystems, economy, and communities stay resilient long into the future.

Action Items:

• Contact local and state representatives (including the mayor, state senator, assembly member, and governor) and urge them to advocate for regenerative wildfire and water management policies.
• Engage on Social Media, especially on government pages and posts by California politicians, expressing your concerns and urging them to prioritize regenerative wildfire and water management policies.
• Write Op-Eds or Letters to the Editor to local newspapers expressing your concerns and calling for action.
• Support nonprofits financially or with volunteer time.
• Form in-person and/or online committees and advocacy groups in communities where such groups don’t already exist.
• Collaborate with existing government agencies, advocacy groups and nonprofits (see below)

Water & Wetland Management

Water Foundation:

• Website: waterfdn.org
• Focus: Partners with grantees, funders, and the growing field of organizations working to secure clean, reliable water for people and nature.

Water Education Foundation:

• Website: watereducation.org
• Focus: Dedicated to providing unbiased information about water issues in California, promoting a better understanding of water resources.

Sierra Club California: Water Committee:

• Website: sierraclub.org/california
• Focus: Advocates for sustainable water policies, protection of water sources, and conservation efforts.

California Department of Water Resources (DWR):

• Website: water.ca.gov
• Government agency responsible for managing and protecting California’s water resources. They often have opportunities for public involvement.

California Coastal Conservancy:

• Website: scc.ca.gov
• The California Coastal Conservancy works on coastal and watershed conservation, which includes wetland restoration and sustainable water management along the coast.

Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project:

• Website: scwrp.org
• A project consisting of 18 public agencies with the mission to expand, restore and protect wetlands in Southern California’s coastal watersheds.

California Trout:

• Website: caltrout.org
• California Trout works on preserving and restoring wild trout and salmon populations, which includes initiatives related to healthy aquatic ecosystems and water management.

Wildfire Management

University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE):

• Website: ucanr.edu
• UCCE often conducts research and outreach on wildfire management practices, including regenerative approaches. They collaborate with various stakeholders to disseminate information and tools.

The Nature Conservancy – California:

• Website: nature.org
• Focus: Works on conserving natural areas and addressing environmental challenges, including wildfire resilience.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE):

• Website: fire.ca.gov
• Government agency responsible for fire protection and forestry management. They often have opportunities for public involvement and volunteering.

National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG):

• Website: nwcg.gov
• While not specific to California, NWCG provides resources and training related to wildfire management and could be a valuable platform.

California Fire Safe Council:

• Website: cafiresafecouncil.org
• Focus: Collaborative organization working on wildfire prevention, preparedness, and recovery efforts.

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Additional Sources

1. Shlisky, A., et al. (2007). Fire, Ecosystems & People: Threats and Strategies for Biodiversity Conservation. Retrieved from http://www.conservationgateway.org/Files/Documents/fire_ecosystems_and_people.pdf
2. Karas, C. (n.d.). How Could Regenerative Agriculture Affect California’s Ability to Withstand Drought? Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems – Chico State. Retrieved from https://www.csuchico.edu/regenerativeagriculture/blog/drought-reg.-ag.shtml
3. Hankins, D. L. (n.d.). Restoring Indigenous Prescribed Fires to California Oak. Retrieved from https://www.fs.usda.gov/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr251/psw_gtr251_123.pdf
4. Hagen, B. W. (1990). Keeping Native California Oaks Healthy. CA Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection, Tree Notes, Number 7. Retrieved from https://ucanr.edu/sites/gsobinfo/files/58914.pdf
5. Hernández Ayala, J. J., et al. (2021, August 25). Antecedent Rainfall, Excessive Vegetation Growth… Wiley Online Library. Retrieved from https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020EA001624
6. Molinari, Nicole A. et al. Postfire Restoration Framework for National Forests in California, USDA Forest Service, www.fs.usda.gov/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr270/psw_gtr270_099.pdf