STATEMENT

The Santa Monica Mountains (SMM) has a large wildland urban interface (WUI) located in a landscape that experiences severe and frequent wildfires. This pattern public/private land ownership creates complex fire management issues ([NPS] 2005). Fire risks are especially high in the SMM which has steep slopes and dense shrubland vegetation intermixed with development. Every fall there are seasonal Santa Ana (SA) winds – strong, dry offshore winds that occur at the end of the long summer drought. The combination of high winds and temperatures, low humidity and dry vegetation creates the conditions for major wildfires. SA occurrences are believed to be increasing1 significantly due to climate change coinciding with southern California’s fall fire season (Miller and Schlegel 2006 and Knox and Scheuring 1991). With a growing population living in the WUI, property losses due to fires in southern California have escalated (Moritz and Stephens 2008). Predictions from future climate change scenarios coupled with an increasing population living in the WUI forecast a destructive trend (Westerling and Bryant 2008). Fire risk is predicted to increase due to climate change (Moritz and Stephens 2008). Fire risk is a function of climate, geography and available fuel (vegetation) which is affected by climate change. Live fuel moistures levels of 80 % and lower have been shown to be a necessary condition for large SA driven wildfires in southern California (Dennison, et al 2008). Increased spring and summer temperatures, combined with changes i