Читать книгу Afoot & Afield: Orange County. A Comprehensive Hiking Guide онлайн

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The arrival of humans has greatly impacted these plant communities. People and cattle have brought a number of invasive species, especially mustard and nonnative grasses. These plants grow vigorously in the spring, then die and dry up in the summer, adding vast amounts of tinder for fires. People have also increased the frequency of ignition; downed power lines, vehicle accidents, careless smokers and campers, kids with matches, and malicious arsonists have all caused major fires in Southern California.

Deep inside Water Canyon, Chino Hills State Park (see ssss1)

As a result, wildfires have become much more frequent in Southern California. In 1993, Orange County became keenly aware of its fire risk as the Ortega Fire incinerated 21,010 acres around Highway 74 and the Laguna Beach Fire swept through Laguna Canyon, burning 14,337 acres and 336 homes. From 2006 to 2008, the Sierra Fire and Santiago Fire burned major portions of the Santa Ana Mountains and western foothills, and then the Freeway Complex Fire swept across almost all of Chino Hills State Park. Fires have become so frequent in some areas that plants may not be able to reestablish themselves before the next wave arrives, threatening to cause permanent ecological changes in which the native sage scrub is replaced by even more flammable invasive weeds.