New Guide for The Identification and Evaluation of Critical Habitats in Coastal Sage Chaparral Ecosystems in Southern California Following Wildfires, using Publicly-Accessible Geographic Information Systems
1. Scope
Wildfires are natural components of the coastal sage scrub chaparral ecosystem of Southern
California. Following wildfires, homeowners and municipal agencies often seek to rebuild
housing in the areas that recently experienced the fire. Critical habitats, including wetlands that
have been impacted by wildfires are often subject to further disruption and damage during
reconstruction and redevelopment activities.
Various layers within publicly available geographic information systems (GIS) can be accessed
to identify known critical habitats and areas with the fire-impacted zone that may be suitable for
habitat banking and expansion. This guide builds upon the processes described in Guide E3460
to identify layers within a publicly-available GIS to identify critical habitats, ghost wetlands,
and areas suitable for the construction of artificial wetlands
Keywords
coast sage scrub, critical habitats, endangered species, California
Rationale
Rebuilding residential and commercial buildings following wildfires in the Santa Monica
Mountain entails significant challenges and disruptions to various ecosystems and particularly to
critical habitats. Property owners seeking to rebuild must contend with a myriad of federal, state,
and local regulations regarding the protection and enhancement of critical habitats. The guide
describes the steps property owners and their agents can take to identify critical habitats on or
adjacent to the property subject to rebuilding
