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<br />
<br />hold the soil on lhe hillsides in place.
<br />so authorities anticipate the problem
<br />will be much worse this year.
<br />Twenty fires damaged hundreds of
<br />homes and scorched over 175.000
<br />acres in six Southern California CQun-
<br />tics. In the Laguna Beach area. over
<br />16.000 acres went up in smoke, along
<br />with at leasl 300 homes. The homes
<br />thm populate the beautiful ridges lhere
<br />ronge in value from $500.000 to $3
<br />million each. Total monetary loss: an
<br />eSlimmed $270 million.
<br />The fire was indiscriminate in
<br />choosing its path. Homes were lev-
<br />eled on either side and far down the
<br />block from ones lhat were left stand.
<br />ing, regardless of construction type or
<br />materials. Homes with clay tile or
<br />concrete composite roofs were burned
<br />down (0 their concrete slabs. but oth-
<br />ers with seemingly vulnerable asphah
<br />shingle roofs were left slanding.
<br />All thal remains now of many of
<br />those houses are those slabs, along
<br />with brick chimneys. "No Trespass-
<br />ing" signs are posted on many of
<br />them. presumably for insurance pur-
<br />poses. for lhere is nOlhing left to 1001.
<br />And up and down lhe hillsides. the
<br />charcoal remains of trees. shrubs and
<br />olher vegelation litler the ground.
<br />The fire burned everything above
<br />lhe soil level and a couple of inches
<br />below il. ThaI spared many shrubs
<br />lhal had roots reaching below lhal
<br />level. and even now many of those
<br />plants are pushing through lhe rubble
<br />again. But lhe smaller plant life, in.
<br />c1uding all lhe native grosses lhal had
<br />shallow rool deplhs, were wiped oul.
<br />To gel the ball rolling. the cily of
<br />Laguna Beach contracted with a con-
<br />sultanl, Woodward,Clyde Associales
<br />of Santa Ana. to draw up a master
<br />plan of allack. Woodward. Clyde was
<br />also responsible for erosion control
<br />implementation afler lhe Oakland.
<br />Calif.. fires of 1991. and the CilY of
<br />Oakland had conlacted Laguna Beach
<br />to volunteer advice on dealing with
<br />the fires' aflennath; part of that advice
<br />was to conlact Woodward-Clyde.
<br />
<br />
<br />Soil Treatments Remediate Damage
<br />. From Southland Fires, Prevent Erosion
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<br />by A/tItI SflIjftlrd
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<br />Driving down the Laguna Freeway
<br />to Laguna Beach. Calif.. on the way la
<br />lhe Pacific Ocean. one monlh afler the
<br />horrific fires that ravaged the area. one
<br />nOlices lhm lhe picluresque hills rising
<br />on each side of the road resemble van..
<br />ous forms of bread - warm. aromatic
<br />and golden; laasted. blackened from
<br />the Ii res; or, with the application of
<br />various soil treatments. affected with
<br />advanced stages of mold.
<br />Those moldy looking are:ls are. ap-
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<br />propriately, areas of growth. Now
<br />lhal the threal of fire has diminished.
<br />an almOSl equally dangerous lhreat is
<br />hovering - literally - over the horizon:
<br />mudslides from the winter rains.
<br />Those areas decimaled by lire must be
<br />revegetarcd to prevent erosion and
<br />mudslides. and soil lfcatments are
<br />being used to foster the growth of na-
<br />tive grasses that will anchor thc soil.
<br />Erosion and mudslides are a peren.
<br />nial problem in many Southern Cali-
<br />fornia communities. including Laguna
<br />Beach, but fires destroyed vast areas
<br />of vegetation that usually served to
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<br />A hydroseed;ng contractor sprays a
<br />copolymer.based soil treatment over
<br />fire-rovaged ground.
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