Living with Fire: How Native Plants Can Help Build a Resilient Community 

Southern California is no stranger to fire, but as we were all reminded in January 2025 with the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires, they are becoming increasingly intense, decimating wildlands and urban areas alike. Indeed, of the top 10 largest fires that have burned in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties from 1878 to 2019, five of those have occurred since the year 2000 (per CalFire GIS data). While there is no single factor to blame — climate change, increasing development at the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), seasonal wind events, etc. — communities up and down California must think ahead to prepare.

It may surprise some to learn that Santa Barbara Botanic Garden plays a key role in how communities live with and respond to fire. In Southern California, where wildfires are common, chaparral ecosystems are shaped by the interactions between native and non-native plants. Because of this, any conversation about fire resilience must also include a discussion about plants. And the Garden — with its mission to conserve native plants and habitats for the health of people and the planet — is in a great position to facilitate this important conversation.

Native Plants and Firewise

Founded in 1926, the Garden has been working on the study of native plant species in their relation to the environment for nearly 100 years. Our in-depth knowledge allows us to partner with other experts in providing key tools, information, and strategies that highlight how communities from Santa Barbara and beyond can become more firewise. 

As we aim to increase the fire resiliency of the region, here are a few of our firewise projects currently underway and coming soon.

Summer 2025 | Community Forum

The Garden is spearheading a fire resilience forum scheduled for Summer 2025. This online forum will focus on landscaping, home hardening (fireproofing your home), and other strategies community members can utilize to prepare for the next wildfire event. Additional details will be announced soon! 

Firewise Native Plant Lists

By request of the City of Santa Barbara, the Garden is working with experts at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and elsewhere to develop a firewise native plant list. This list will help residents make more informed landscaping decisions that can reduce fire risk around their homes. 

Fall 2025 | Community & Professional Programming

In partnership with the Santa Barbara Fire Safe Council, the Garden is developing learning resources for residents, landscape professionals, and designers to increase fire resilience and reduce fire risks. These resources will include firewise curriculum for homeowners and a certification opportunity for professional landscapers.  

Supporting Young Scholars

Bringing together voices of diverse young and emerging scholars, the Garden is a proud supporter of the UCSB-led Fire Design challenge experiments and ongoing discussions on wildfire risk management.  Launched in 2021, the Living with Fire Design Challenge enabled student-led teams to closely engage with communities in processes of reimagining inclusive, just, and equitable pathways to living with fire. 

Oak Fuel Break Study

In partnership with the Spatial Informatics Group-Natural Assets Laboratory, and with funding from the Santa Barbara Wildfire Mitigation Program’s Landscape Domain, the Garden is actively managing an oak tree fuel break experiment on the eastern side of the Garden. This experiment is studying how oaks might serve as an important fire buffer between wildlands and residential areas, known as the Wildlands-Urban Interface (WUI). 

Post-fire Research

With grant funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Garden has conducted comprehensive botanical surveys, particularly for rare and invasive plants, throughout the Zaca, Jesusita, and Thomas fire scars. These efforts help us understand the dynamics of native plant recovery, invasive species spread, and how to manage our wildlands and open spaces after they burn.

Advocating for Resilient Communities

We are committed to working in partnership with elected officials. By sharing our research and ongoing communitywide fire safety efforts, together we can ensure a more resilient community, not only for today’s residents, but all those to come.

Collaboration & Community

At the Garden, we recognize the very real risk that wildfires pose to our friends and neighbors in southern California and beyond. We take our responsibility as conservation scientists, land stewards, and public advocates seriously. While we’ll never be able to prevent fires from occurring, we are confident that through our collaborative efforts with allied organizations and interested citizens, we’ll be able to provide key resources for informed action.

It is our deepest hope and, honestly, our expectation, that friends of the Garden will heed the call and join us in taking key steps to ensure the safety of our community when the next big fire strikes.