Letters to the Editor: ‘Plants over people’? People and plants should be working together

To the editor: I was saddened to learn that California State Parks is being accused of putting “plants over people” by lawyers representing victims of the Palisades fire (“Palisades fire victims claim a state park official restricted efforts to fight earlier blaze,” Nov. 19). This accusation establishes a false dichotomy of choosing to care about plants or people.

Plants and people share the Southern California environment, assisting each other as part of an interdependent system. Plants provide clean air, aesthetic value, food and other benefits for people. Many non-native, invasive plants provide easily ignitable fuel for fires, while native species maintain significant moisture content throughout the dry season. People help native plants by removing invasive species. Caring for native plant communities should be included as a key part of fire safety.

I am a plant ecologist who studies how plant communities respond to global change impacts like increasingly frequent fires. As a Southern California resident, I’ve also been directly impacted by wildfires. Native plants in well-maintained fuel modification zones can be an important part of fire reduction by slowing the spread of embers as they move toward homes. Native oak trees have fire-resistant bark and promote cooler and more moist microclimates. People and plants can work in partnership to promote a healthy relationship with wildfire.

Sarah Kimball, Costa Mesa