Fire, Chaparral, And Survival In Southern California [Paperback]

Richard W. Halsey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 28, 2008

This is the best book available that describes in detail California's most extensive plant community, the chaparral! The book not only provides the basics of chaparral natural history, but also how wildfires are fought, what we have learned about them, and why it is important to reconnect with one's surroundings. The revised and updated second printing of this book includes details about the October 2007 fires and a new chapter on the importance of understanding the relationship between fire, people, and nature. Also included is an updated color photo identification section with 64 of the most common southern California chaparral plants and animals.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Complete with a 32-page full-color field guide to the common plants, birds, and animals that dwell in the chaparral, this book is a "must-have" for natural history buffs, as well as those Southern Californians interested in learning more about their natural surroundings.

From the Author

There are many voices in this book, each with a wealth of experience living within and studying the chaparral of southern California. But the message delivered is a consistent, coherent one that will offer you an honest description of what we know today about the chaparral and its intimate relationship to fire.

As you continue investigating the subject it will become quite clear there are a significant number of opinions relating to fire management that are opposed to one another. It is difficult for the average individual to wade through it all and decide who is right. Try it. But be sure you look at the data and analyze it for yourself. Do not allow a well drawn map or a persuasive argument hijack your objectivity. Analyze the data and ask questions, even if it makes you or those you ask uncomfortable or defensive.

Sometimes it just takes listening to a new perspective and examining data with a more critical eye to help see the truth.

Richard W. Halsey

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Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Sunbelt Publications; Revised and Updated edition (January 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0932653693
• ISBN-13: 978-0932653697
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #773,641 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard W. Halsey is a film producer and the director of the California Chaparral Institute, a research and educational organization focusing on the preservation and ecology of California's shrubland plant communities. He has given more than 300 presentations over the past ten years concerning chaparral ecology, the dynamics of wildfire, and the importance of nature education. Mr. Halsey taught biology for over thirty years in both public and private schools and was honored as his district's Teacher of the Year in 1991. The second edition of his book, "Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California," was published in 2008. Mr. Halsey also works with the San Diego Museum of Natural History, publishes "The Chaparralian," a quarterly journal focusing on nature and the inspiration it can provide. His most recent film production is the action-thriller, Rites of Passage, starring Ryan Donowho, Kate Maberly, Christian Slater, and Wes Bentley (Winter 2011-12 scheduled release).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great stuff, February 12, 2005

By 

Jim - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire, Chaparral, And Survival In Southern California (Paperback)

Finally a book on California wildfires that tells it like it is. Great natural history stuff too. Maybe now the public will wake up. Here's a review from the San Diego Union. It's accurate.

A biologist challenges common wisdom in 'Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California'

Reviewed by Terry Rodgers

February 6, 2005

San Diego Union-Tribune

Biologist and fire ecologist Richard W. Halsey sees ample evidence that Southern Californians simply don't get it.

Surrounded by a highly flammable chaparral landscape, we insist on building housing in inappropriate locations that are impossible to defend against wildfires. When the inevitable happens, we expect firefighters to accomplish the impossible by saving every structure, no matter how stupidly constructed. In the fire's aftermath, there's a clamor for more equipment, more choppers, more air tankers.

The public believes chaparral wildfires whipped up by Santa Ana winds can be easily subdued by a bigger, better-equipped army of firefighters. Using tragedy to push a political agenda, some try to blame the fires' destruction on the chaparral itself and those who favor open space conservation.

In "Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California," Halsey directly challenges the common wisdom that has fostered the pattern of tail-chasing after every wildfire disaster.

This is an interesting and important book that could dispel the public's misperceptions and improve public policy to minimize death and destruction from wildfires. Halsey forces the reader to rethink how mankind should live in Southern California's estimated 8.6 million acres of chaparral. He makes the case that much can be done through better land-use planning, improved building codes and a renewed vigilance on the part of homeowners.

"Past fire suppression practices or environmental regulations limiting vegetation treatments in wild spaces cannot be blamed for the wildfires we see today," he writes. "We must recognize fire will always be part of the California experience, with or without chaparral."

The initial chapters read like a chaparral-habitat field guide, before the book switches abruptly to Halsey's intriguing treatise on wildfire management, including lessons learned from the catastrophic wildfires of 2003.

The early chapters are worthwhile for amateur naturalists or natural history guides seeking a comprehensive understanding of chaparral ecology. Like the Golden State's once-robust population of grizzly bears, native chaparral and its cousin habitat, coastal sage scrub, are being systematically eliminated. For too long, the beauty and utility of the chaparral have been underappreciated. These plant communities are crucial to a healthy watershed that deters erosion and provide habitat for wildlife.

While it's true that periodic fires are healthy for chaparral, humans have increased the frequency of wildfires. Such overburning allows non-native grasses and other plants to take over.

"Considering development, increased fire frequency and the possibility of continued drought conditions, the future (of chaparral) looks extremely difficult," Halsey writes.

Much of the book is a how-to manual for homeowners who wish to create a reasonable defense against wildfire. Halsey argues that, rather than rely on firefighters to come to their rescue, homeowners need to be more savvy about how they prepare for the fires. They can create "survivable spaces" with intelligent (not clear-cut) brush clearing along with on-site measures such as misters under vulnerable wooden eaves.

The author supports his theories with a collection of interviews and anecdotes of residents and firefighters who have first-hand experience battling wildfires.

"What had become clear after the 2003 firestorm is that people had become so unfamiliar with the environment in which they lived and so dependent on outside assistance that they had lost control of their own lives," he writes. "They had neglected to prepare for the inevitable."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it and be Inspired to Care, March 19, 2008

By 

Leadership Champion (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire, Chaparral, And Survival In Southern California (Paperback)

This book makes me believe in the power of nature. Richard Halsey has a warm, analytical style that pulls you into the world of the chaparral and its rich ecosystem. He is a master photographer and has insights that will educate individuals and families alike. I loved the stories and new education about the 2007 fires in this second edition. This is a book you will want to share with anyone who loves the outdoors or who has been touched by wildfire. I highly recommend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Important, August 25, 2011

By 

Sandra C. Phelps (Mt Laguna, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fire, Chaparral, And Survival In Southern California (Paperback)

This book is a must read for everyone in the southwestern U.S. and northern Baja. Very factual information about fire and fire country. Dispels some myths. Offers lots of practical advice. It is a mystery to me how myths prevail and solid books such as this one sometimes get lost. If you live in fire country, get this book -- and read it!