Lake Fire burns nearly half of Sedgwick Reserve

SANTA YNEZ VALLEY, Calif. - The largest wildfire currently burning in California has burned nearly half of one of the leading global research institutes on fires in the Santa Ynez Valley.

The Sedgwick Reserve is part of the University of California's Natural Reserve System and can host more than 50 research projects at any given time. 

Approximately 3,000 acres on the northeast side of the 6,000-acre reserve have burned, according to the latest mapping according to Dr. Nikki Evans, Outreach and Communications Specialist at the Sedgwick Reserve.

Evans adds that there is an effort to save some of the research plots on the reserve.

"There was some dozing that had to happen in order to create brakes to hopefully stop the fire. Frank and Liza were out there pointing out important research plots and natural resources," said Evans.

Frank Davis, the Director of the La Kretz Research Center at the reserve, and Liza Johnson, the Director of Operations at the reserve, were deemed essential personnel after the ten-acre field station was put under an evacuation order.

Evans said dozer lines have been created across the property to protect housing and facilities which fire crews are now using while they combat the encroaching wildfire.

The Sedgwick Reserve is renowned for its research on prescribed fires. Evans describes the research as "finding the sweet spot between community safety and ecology."

Researchers on the reserve study the benefits of prescribed burnings, fire behaviors, and how those burns affect the surrounding plants, animals, air, and soil.

The reserve also hosts a Prescribed Burning Training Exchange (TREX) program that provides hands-on training in fire management. Some firefighters working on the Lake Fire were trained to do prescribed burns on the preserve.

"It's been fantastic because they know our landscape, said Evans. "It's made a big difference."

Significant research equipment on the reserve is also threatened by the Lake Fire.

A meteorological flux tower, used to research wildfire prediction, a telescope to deep space, and a seismic array, intended to improve earthquake predictions, are also under threat from the Lake Fire.

In addition to the fire research that is hosted on the reserve, Sedgwick is also a hub for conservation research.

The reserve has a rare collection of plants and trees including coastal sage scrub, native grassland, blue oak woodland, valley oaks savannah, and gray pine forest.

"I'm pretty devastated for the trees. I mean, we have trees that are hundreds of years old and a lot of them are going to be totally just decimated," said Evans.

If a research plot is burned by the Lake Fire, Evans tells Your News Channel that post-wildfire research can be collected in some cases.