Fire Hazard
Vegetation and Drought
​
Since it has a lot of chaparral as a prevalent vegetation type, which is prone to proplonged drought and severe temperatures, Topanga Canyon has a more drastic effect than urban regions in Los Angeles.
Map from Biodiversity Atlas -From 2000 to 2017, this map shows how drought impacted vegetation. The color red denotes locations that have been badly affected by droughts.
Fire Frequency
Map from Biodiversity Atlas - it is about fire frequency that uses data of recorded fires from 1878 to 2019. The range is from 1 to 13 fires within the time period.
Map from Biodiversity Atlas - the lighter color represents fire that has burned long time ago.
Map from Biodiversity Atlas - an example of an area that was only burned once in1925
Wildfire is a common feature of the California landscape, and native plants in California have adapted to natural wildfires. However, wildfires near developed areas, including residential areas, are frequently managed. As a result, some areas in Topanga Canyon had only one fire from 1878 to 2019, with the most recent recorded burn in 1925. This is not an ideal environment because fire suppression disrupts natural fire cycles and allows vegetation to accumulate, adding fuel to the eventual fire.
Tree Canopy Coverage
Higher tree canopy coverage indicates that the areas would burn faster and more easily than other areas.
​
Topanga Canyon and its houses have more than 50% tree canopy coverage, making them extremely vulnerable to fires.
Map from Tree People - darker green indicates a higher percentage of tree canopy cover
Fire Threats and Hazard
Map from Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Map from Biodiversity
Many sources confirm that there are numerous conditions in Topanga Canyon that could increase the size or severity of the fire.
​
More research on top of these data, however, is required to provide recommendations on future fire risk management in Topanga Canyon.