Fall 2025 Newsletter
By Kristen Zumdahl
Image 1: Map of vegetation management plan, TREX, and wildfire burns in and around Sedgwick Reserve
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department recently completed a prescribed burn covering approximately 110 acres (Image 1) of coastal sage scrub and oak woodland in the southwest corner of UC Santa Barbara’s Sedgwick Reserve, adjacent to Woodstock Ranch. The burn marks an important milestone in the Reserve’s 10-year Vegetation Management Program (VMP), which aims to reduce wildfire risk, advance ecological research, and provide valuable training opportunities for fire professionals.
Overall, the prescribed fire was classified as moderate in severity, though conditions varied widely between habitats. In the coastal sage scrub, most shrub patches burned completely, while areas of oak woodland showed a mosaic of effects. Recent early-season rains had stimulated new grass and herbaceous plant growth in the woodland understory, resulting in a patchy burn pattern—ranging from minimal impact in interior sections to higher severity along woodland–scrub boundaries.
Image 2: Back burning began near the RAWS station in the southwest corner of Sedgwick Reserve. Credit: Frank Davis
Researchers collected detailed pre- and post-burn data to examine how vegetation structure and fire behavior influence ecosystem recovery. Pre-burn fuel characteristics were quantified on the ground and paired with LiDAR data to capture three-dimensional variation in vegetation structure (Image 3). During the burn, thermocouples, data loggers, and pyrometers recorded fire temperatures and heat flux, while cameras documented flame height and rate of spread. Post-burn monitoring now focuses on assessing how differences in fuel structure and fire intensity translate into variation in plant community recovery (Image 4). Ultimately, the research aims to determine whether specific combinations of fuels and fire behavior promote greater post-fire plant diversity across foothill ecosystems.
Image 3: Researchers gathering post-burn data. Laura Dagg’s team is collecting soil samples, while Frank’s team collects fuel structure data
A wide range of research projects were conducted to study the effects of the prescribed fire on Sedgwick’s landscape. Among them, Laura Dagg from Carla D’Antonio’s lab collected soil samples before and after the burn to examine how fire influences fungal communities and seed germination.
Shane Dewees and Max Moritz are investigating oak physiological stress responses to fire and have installed burn boxes to better understand how fire behavior varies under controlled conditions.
Wildlife response is being closely monitored by Hillary Young’s lab, which deployed cover boards to track changes in herpetofauna species occurrence and diversity before and after the burn. Meanwhile, Sedgwick staff member Angela Giordani has been maintaining a network of camera traps to document shifts in wildlife movement and activity across burned and unburned areas.
To capture fire behavior during the event, Ethan Turpin installed cameras throughout the burn area to record flame height, rate of spread, and other dynamics, as well as to monitor post-fire vegetation recovery.
The La Kretz Center coordinated comprehensive monitoring efforts before, during, and after the burn, using a suite of tools to assess vegetation structure and composition, oak health, gather drone imagery, and conduct live fuel moisture surveys. These long-term studies aim to deepen understanding of how prescribed fire influences plant community recovery, ecosystem resilience, and oak woodland survival in Sedgwick’s foothill environments.
Fig.4 Overlooking the post-burn landscape between units 4 and 5.
Through collaboration, careful planning, and a deep commitment to science-based management, the Sedgwick Reserve vegetation management plan (VMP) exemplifies how prescribed fire can be used as a powerful tool for both community safety and ecological restoration. The lessons learned from this project will continue to inform fire ecology and management practices across California’s diverse landscapes for years to come.