Terremoto, the Resilient Futures Taskforce landscape partner, is comprised of David Godshall, Hannah Pae, and Danielle Vonlehe.
'Wildfire Ecologies' by Terremoto
- We do not believe that wildfire is a problem to be solved, as fire is a natural phenomenon that has always occurred and will continue to occur in Southern California. We believe that fire needs to be understood, analyzed and treated with respect so that we can improve our methods of landscaping and garden-making at the national, regional at local scale, in the hopes of minimizing future damage to property and life.
- We disagree with the present discourse that vilifies the wildfire ecology of the Coastal Sage Chapparal and that depicts it as an enemy to be suppressed. Fire is a natural phenomenon whose frequency and intensity are increasing due to poor development standards, the proliferation of invasive species and climate change. Generating a formidable and proper solution for mitigating wildfires will require addressing the totality of all contributing problems.
- We disagree with the carte blanche removal of burned trees in the immediate aftermath of a fire. Certain native trees such as Quercus Agrifolia (Coastal Live Oaks) have evolved to be fire resilient and with time, recover from burning. The unnecessary loss of urban tree canopy can 1. lead to heat island effects that exacerbate future fire risks 2. contribute to habitat loss affecting endangered and at-risk species in the wildland urban interface; 3. reduce quality of life for individuals living in post-burn areas. Tree removals should be considered on a case-by-case basis and with the guidance and expertise of certified arborists.
- We believe that our short-term solutions as to how to begin to think about new landscape strategies for burned zones must include soil testing and remediation; a deep analysis of how and why the fires spread in the manner they did, and whether the landscape (both designed and non) was a primary contributing factor to the conflagration.
- We believe that long-term solutions will require thinking deeply about plant layouts in relationship to structures, the species we employ in our gardens and detailed maintenance strategies for these newly emergent fire-safe landscaping approaches.
- We believe that a meaningful response to wildfires must consider human resilience in alignment with soil, vegetal, and structural resilience. We intend to support long-term solutions that leave space for emotional, spiritual and psychological care within an environmentally indeterminate future. The affective potential of space and environment on the human is not to be overlooked or undervalued when approaching fire mitigation from a methodological and/or analytical perspective.
- Lastly, we want to acknowledge and flag that oftentimes designing landscapes that prioritize "fire-safety" above all else often serve ecologies poorly. We believe that striking a balance between the needs and safety of the single family or multi-family dwelling and the greater ecological health of a neighborhood and its region will need to be prioritized, as the two ultimately depend on one another.