It’s always fun to see what wildflowers pop up in your yard after haphazardly tossing a random native seed mix around. But if you’re hoping for the striking yellow center and large, crinkly white petals of the Matilija poppy, you’re out of luck. An iconic California native, the Matilija poppy is one of several eye-catching “fire following” plants. The seeds of the Matilija poppy lay dormant in the soil for decades, germinating only after wildfire. The heat and smoke from wildfire signals to the Matilija poppy that conditions are ideal for their growth – the open, sunny landscape and nutrient-rich soil left after fire are the ideal conditions for the Matilija poppy to bloom in. Through thousands of years alongside fire, the Matilija poppy has adapted to not only withstand fire, but to thrive with it.

Living with the threat of wildfire can be stressful, and adapting our lives to prepare for wildfire is difficult. But tuning in to educational events and engaging in community conversations about wildfire is one important step towards improving our ability to live with wildfire.

Through the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District’s Living with Wildfire webinar and field visit series, local environmental and fire professionals are helping us adapt to the inevitable occurrence of wildfire. Over the past two months, professors from UC Berkeley and CSU East Bay have taught us that while recent wildfires have had devastating impacts on communities throughout California, thoughtful stewardship of our lands (from our backyards to our regional parks) can help lessen wildfire severity and reduce damage to our communities. We’ve started to learn about how cultural burning led by Bay Miwok, Ohlone, and Northern Valley Yokuts peoples has promoted and protected the East Bay’s incredible biodiversity for time immemorial, and how colonial attempts to prevent fire over the past century have reduced ecosystem health and contributed to the rise in catastrophic wildfires. In upcoming webinars, we’ll hear from scientists at EastBay Regional Park District and CaliforniaState Parks about reducing the risk of catastrophic fire not by preventing fire, but by changing the way our landscapes experience and interact with fire. I am hopeful that like the Matilija poppy, we too can thrive amidst our fire-adapted environment.

Explore and RSVP for upcoming Living with Wildfire events at ccrcd.org/wildfire.

Funding for the Living with Wildfire series is provided by a grant from the Cooperative Fire Program of the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Pacific Southwest Region, through the California Fire Safe Council. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the California Fire Safe Council, U.S. Forest Service or the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the California Fire Safe Council or the U.S. Government.