Woodward Fire

On Monday, August 17, 2020, lightning started a wildfire, which was named the 4-5 Fire, north of the junction of Woodward Valley Trail and the Coast Trail. On Tuesday, August 18, a second fire, initially named the 4-6 Fire and later renamed the Woodward Fire, was found nearby and, aided by gusty winds, quickly grew in size. By the evening of Wednesday, September 16, the Woodward Fire has grown to 4,929 acres in size, but is 96% contained. Updates can be found on Point Reyes National Seashore's  Facebook  and  Twitter  pages,  InciWeb 's  Woodward Fire Information  page, and on the Marin County Fire Department's  Twitter ,  Facebook , and  Instagram  accounts, as well as on this page. The Woodward Fire Incident Management Team's public information hotline is 415-851-9970.

While many wildfires do not greatly impact the landscape and pose few threats to resources and people downstream, some fires create situations that require special efforts to prevent further catastrophic damage. For an incident as large as the Woodward Fire, a highly coordinated effort is required from an interdisciplinary team, local resource professionals, and fire suppression forces. Information is compiled into an emergency assessment based upon information from field reconnaissance, satellite imagery, spatial models, relevant literature, management plans, GIS databases, and discussions with stakeholders. Findings from the assessment helps determine whether emergency actions are needed on federal land and identify stabilization treatments to feasibly mitigate post-fire threats to values located within or downstream from the burned area.

The soil burn severity map is created from a satellite-derived data layer called the Burned Area Reflectance Classification (BARC) map. The BARC represents the burned area by comparing satellite images that reflect the difference between the pre-fire and the post-fire vegetation. The BARC has four classes: high (red), moderate (yellow), low (cyan), and unburned (green). The DOI BAER Team then uses field observations to adjust the original image and produce the soil burn severity map. The soil burn severity map helps evaluate effects to natural resources and is necessary to model flooding potential.

BAER efforts aim to minimize threats by prescribing and implementing emergency treatments on federal lands that reduce the potential damage to life or property or to stabilize and prevent further unacceptable degradation to natural and cultural resources resulting from the effects of a wildland fire.

The Woodward Fire occurred primarily in Douglas-fir forest, with burning across significant amounts of coastal scrub, hardwood forest, and ceanothus-dominated chaparral communities along with riparian forests and grassland. About 1,200 acres of the Woodward Fire was previously burned in the October 1995 Vision Fire, within a 1,900-acre zone running along the western and southern perimeters. The remainder of the Woodward Fire, including all areas east of Sky Trail, has not been burned to any substantial extent in at least 70 years. Unfortunately, fire not only promotes establishment of fire-dependent native species, but disturbance-adapted invasive species, as well, such as jubata grass (Cortaderia jubata). The park recently spent three years trying to eradicate jubata grass in certain portions of the former Vision Fire area. It is likely that the Woodward Fire will foster spread of this and other invasive species well-adapted to environmental disturbances such as fire. Overall, the Woodward Fire could greatly increase habitat complexity and health, as most of the burned area appeared to burn at a low intensity.

Due to the high number of visitors coming to the park to enjoy the trail system of some 50 miles and the associated access roads in the park, there was concern about the potential for trees in the burn area to create hazards for the visitors. In a normal forest along roads and trails there are trees that have become hazardous over time due to dying, insect damage, disease or weather events. After a fire trees with structural defects are burned to the point that they fall across trails, roads or infrastructure.

A BAER team forester worked with Point Reyes staff to identify those trails and roads of highest concern and then evaluated trees for hazards that were the result of fire rather than pre-existing defects. Delayed mortality of trees occurs after the fire due to exposure of the bark to burning, killing the tree but leaving it apparently intact. The trees remain green for a while and then die and become hazardous if they fall across roads or onto infrastructure. These areas are identified for periodic monitoring and mitigation.

A BAER team assesses changes to soil and watershed characteristics caused by a wildland fire. Sometimes these watershed changes result in conditions which pose threats to human life and property and/or to critical natural and cultural resources.  

There were two main hydrologic concerns identified within the Woodward burn area. The first concern is culverts at road crossings of Bear Valley Creek and its tributaries both along Bear Valley Trail and Limantour Road. These drainages showed low soil burn severity (SBS) so runoff and sediment delivery are not expected to see much increase. Problems could arise if woody debris in or near the stream channel were to mobilize and plug culvert inlets.  The drainages within the Woodward burn area are erosive and prone to sediment delivery.  If a culvert were to plug, impounded water and sediment could overtop the road causing failure.  To prevent this, woody debris will be removed from the channel and banks and storm patrols will monitor all culverts during storm events to ensure culverts remain functioning.   

The second concern is bank erosion at cultural sites.  While there is no threat to life, protecting cultural resources is an important part of BAER.  There are two cultural sites located low in their respective watersheds.  One watershed had a lot of moderate SBS while the other was mostly high SBS.  While this is normally a significant problem, the watersheds are small enough that comparing the pre- and post-fire flows shows only a small percent increase. 

One positive find in the Woodward burn area is that in most areas there is still good coverage over the soil. Trees, standing and fallen, dead and alive, still provide effective cover over the soil, providing some stability, catchment and retention, and protection from raindrop splatter which helps to slow the process of sediment movement. 

The northern spotted owl has been listed as a federally threatened species under the Endangered Species Act since 1990. They reach the southern limit of their range in Marin County, California, north of San Francisco, where they occur on NPS lands (GOGA, MUWO, PORE), and other public and private lands in Marin County. In Marin County, they inhabit second growth and old growth Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), bishop pine (Pinus muricata), mixed conifer-hardwood, and evergreen hardwood forests. The Marin population of spotted owls is geographically and genetically distinct from populations to the north in Napa and Sonoma Counties (Barrowclough et al. 2005). Wildfire has been identified as one of six significant threats to spotted owls in Marin County (Press et. al 2010). Spotted owls in Marin County forage primarily on dusky-footed woodrats (Neotoma fuscipes), which make up over 75% of their diet by weight (Chow and Allen 1997, Fehring 2003). 

Following an inventory in 1997-1998 of all evergreen forest habitat located on federal lands within Marin County, a spotted owl monitoring program has been in operation continuously as part of NPS San Francisco Area Network Inventory and Monitoring Program. The monitoring is a collaborative project with all other land management agencies in Marin where spotted owls occur.

Maps from the Woodward Fire show that approximately 4300 acres of spotted owl habitat may have burned. Spotted owl habitat within the fire boundary primarily occurs within the mature Douglas fir forests through the Bear Valley Trail corridor and within areas on the northeast side of Inverness Ridge. The fire appears to have burned entirely through three known NSO territories and partially through another three territories. Fire suppression activities did not occur within any of these known territories.

While not monitored every year, the six northern spotted owl territories within the Woodward Fire were documented as occupied within the last three years. Nesting pairs were documented at all of these sites within the last eight years. The Woodward Fire occurred outside of the NSO nesting season, so no impacts to actively nesting birds or recently fledged young occurred. 

The degree to which the fire impacted owl habitat and these particular territories remains to be seen as direct observations within the interior of the fire have not yet been possible. Preliminary burn severity maps show that, with the exception of an area on Meadow Trail, the owl territories experienced a low intensity burn. Post-fire mortality of trees and other vegetation may increase impacts to northern spotted owls. Northern spotted owls will be most impacted if favored nesting and roosting stands of trees are lost due to the fire, if extensive light gaps in the forest canopy are created through the loss of understory bay and oak trees, and/or if the fire has a significant impact on prey populations, such as the woodrats.

Cultural resources documented either within the fire, or potentially subject to the effects of post-fire flooding and erosion, include both pre and post-contact Native American sites, as well as historic Euro-American sites. The Native American sites, characteristically associated with maritime resource procurement, are exemplified by shell middens. In addition to the remains of consumed mollusks, these sites exhibit dark organic soil, and may also contain remains of other maritime resources, as well as lithics, groundstone, fire cracked rock, and burials. While some sites may have seen only limited use and represent temporary campsites, others are indicative of at least semi-permanent occupation. The Euro-American sites documented within the fire are predominately associated with mid-19th Century to mid-20th century dairy and beef ranching activities. Little remains in the way of structural components. Trash scatters are the most common indicators. Such remnants of the past typically include bottle and window glass, cans, and ceramics. Plantings of non-native tree species are also common features of the historic landscape. The most predominate of these species is southern blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus), first introduced to California from Australia in 1856. An unusual and rare botanical specimen associated with one historic site, is a Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)