Free Zoom lecture with Matt Kay
View the Zoom webinar recording at this link: Chaparral Plant Adaptations and Patterns of Recovery from Wildfire
This event took place Wednesday, December 15, 2020, rescheduled from spring 2020. The lecture was followed by a question-and-answer period.
California has experienced an unprecedented number of fire events that have been described as megafires. A number of these wildfires burned through vegetation types that are broadly categorized as conifer forest or mixed hardwood forest. This talk, coming on the third anniversary of the Thomas Fire—arguably one of California’s first megafires—will focus on our area’s chaparral and how it responds to fire.
Wildfire is a natural part of chaparral plant communities. Not surprisingly, chaparral plant species have interesting adaptations that allow them to regrow and/or reproduce post fire. For many species, wildfire is an important event to which reproduction is timed. Some species grow almost exclusively in burn areas, but only for a few years after fire. This lecture will explore the botany and ecology of fire recovery in chaparral plant communities. An emphasis will be placed on species and photographs from San Ysidro and Cold Springs Canyon after the 2017 Thomas Fire. The talk will include the importance of chaparral conservation and ecosystem services.
Matt Kay grew up in Santa Barbara, where he developed a love for biology and natural history. This led to biology degrees from the University of Oregon (BS and MS), and a PhD from UCSB. Matt teaches botany and general biology at SBCC.
