May 12, 1999

Ten small fires yes. One large fire? No!

It isn't just every fruit tree in Pacifica, but every Eucalyptus, every pine, every cypress, every Redwood, that has been planted by people, if not directly, then indirectly. About the only exception to that are some of the willows and alders along the creeks, and the brush in the hills. That tree of your neighbor's you're afraid will fall on your house? It was planted. That wonderful fig tree or apple tree in your backyard? Somebody planted it, maybe you.

Even the French Broom and the Scotch Broom and the Pampas Grass that stirs up your allergies are descendants of plants somebody thought would grow nicely in their yard and beautify it. All of them grow well around here, unfortunately. We seem to have an ideal climate for Pampas grass. It grows better than the lupine that nourishes our rare butterflies. It grows better than our native grasses. It grows best where men have scarred the landscape. It grows where few other plants are willing or able to grow. All those trees in Vallemar, not only those we enjoy as our own local arboretum but those that periodically crash on houses where people live, were planted by people. Owls and hawks build nests in their tall branches. The wind whistles through them.

People gather to replant native species, in communal efforts we should all applaud. Native alders and willows are being replanted in the riparian habitats along the creeks. In the hilly parts of our city, the collective noun is "scrub." Scrub oak, manzanita, madrone, coyote brush, chinquapin, none of it very tall, grows on that thin layer of soil that covers Montara Mountain and others of our hills.

Except for the scrub, the natural state of our hills is barrenness. The Indians kept this area in shape with periodic fires. We, who think ourselves far above and beyond those primitive hunter-gatherers who lived here for so many thousands of years, don't understand the situation as well as they did. We have stopped burning the hills as the Indians did. The fuel load rarely has a chance to be recycled into the soil. There will continue to be fires. Because there are fewer of them, they will be much more destructive.

The last good burn in southern Pacifica was in the mid-thirties, though there have been some localized fires since.

I hope the fire department can cope with the next conflagration. If you live near Eucalyptus, you are in danger. Eucalyptus expects to be burned periodically, and it burns fiercely. If you live next to one of our local groves, have your plans made when the firestorm comes.

There are citizens who are concerned with the dangers their Eucalyptus present. When they try to reduce this danger by removing some of the Eucs, they're told they must not. I find it outrageous that those in danger of a firestorm should be prevented from reducing its severity, yet that has happened in Pacifica. No citizen should be permitted to endanger the life and property of another by forcing them to keep a grove of trees they do not wish to preserve.

Some recent Reactor columns may be found at Paul Azevedo's website, http://www.thereactor.net/ Reach him by e-mail at Paul@thereactor.net