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Strong Rainfall Season, Woolsey Fire Contribute To Wildflower Superbloom In Santa Monica Mountains

It’s a trail in the Santa Monica Mountains which is a contrast in nature. As you hike into the Coyote Canyon area west of Agoura Hills, you see blackened mountain slopes, and plants charred by last November’s Woolsey brush fire. But, at the same time, there are signs of rebirth. There’s a fresh layer of green grasses, and beautiful, blooming wildflowers.

Above average rainfall, and ironically the nearly 100,000 acre fire have combined to create a massive natural floral display in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Mark Mendelsohn is a Vegetation and Wildlife Biologist with the National Park Service. He’s guiding us up the Coyote Canyon and Overlook Trails, near Paramount Ranch. The hillsides seem like they are covered with wildflowers. The comeback is amazing when you consider that the Woolsey Fire burned 88% of the federal land in the National Recreation Area.

Most people don’t realize the incredible diversity of the species found in the park. Even a seasoned biologist like Mendelsohn admits he’s a bit overwhelmed by the wildflower boom, noting they are seeing some types of plants they haven spotted here for years.   The rain helped, and the fire's heat and smoke prompted some types of seeds to germinate.

Mendelsohn says there are some easy spots in the region to see the blooming wildflowers, which are around their peak right now. Among them are trails at the Paramount Ranch, and at Malibu Creek State Park.

But, it’s not all good news. Biologists are concerned that the increasing frequency of brush fires in the region is opening the door for invasive species of plants to push out the native ones, gradually changing the landscape.

The Park Service has a Long Term Vegetation Monitoring Program underway. Mendelsohn says they are surveying more than 200 spots. Studies have already shown some changes in the plant mix in the wake of the 2013 Springs Brush Fire. It will take a few years to collect enough data to assess the impacts of the Woolsey Fire.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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