Five years after the Woolsey Fire devastated the Santa Monica Mountains, including the Malibu area, a local group is continuing to implement measures that build resilience against future extreme events one planting at a time.
On Sunday, The Malibu Foundation will be hosting the 2023 Replant Love event at Juan Bautista De Anza Park in Calabasas, bringing together volunteers to plant a native microforest using seeds collected and propagated in the foundation’s nursery. The microforest is a small grouping of native plants that combat increasing ground temperatures while minimizing area water usage, based on a method created by botanist Akira Miyawaki. Other benefits include cleaning carbon-based greenhouse gasses from the air, providing oxygen and giving shade to the area.
"Microforests are very affordable and require little to no water or maintenance after the first 2-3 years," said Malibu Foundation Founder Evelin Weber. "The Malibu Foundation is proud to host this annual event that brings the gift of nature to communities throughout greater Los Angeles."
Credit: The Malibu Foundation
The microforest planting is a new goal of the Replant Love event, which has planted over 21,000 plants since the Woolsey Fire in 2018. The De Anza Park location will be the second microforest in the greater Los Angeles area, with the first being at Griffith Park, which has become self-sustaining in the two years since its planting.
After the planting at De Anza Park, the foundation will be able to monitor metrics like temperature and soil conditions, providing the positive data needed for potential future microforests throughout the area. The small spaces in which plantings can occur create endless possibilities, says Malibu Foundation Community Outreach Coordinator Denise DeGarmo.
"It makes it possible to do it in people’s homes, on center dividers, or at every bus bench … that’s our goal, to really inundate Southern California with them," DeGarmo said.
With lifelong ties to Malibu, DeGarmo began working with the Malibu Foundation to give "nature a voice," and was "so impressed" with the organization’s work after the Woolsey Fire cratered local forestry.
Credit: The Malibu Foundation
"I was born and raised here, I went through every fire, [the Woolsey Fire] was the single worst fire I’ve ever experienced … the way the wind was, it would be going one direction and it would create cinders in a hurricane, it would just fling around," she said of the incident. "It was really devastating, it can never happen again."
To prevent another wildlife disaster, the foundation works on building community resilience, applying to not just plant life, but to people and wildlife. For residents, the organization works to boost disaster preparedness, particularly for senior populations that were unaware of what to do during the Woolsey Fire. For wildlife, construction of a safe crossing is underway in Agoura Hills, a safety zone for animals so that they are not killed on the roads. The native habitat attracting animals will help recreate biodiversity "across the board," DeGarmo noted.
"[After a disaster] the community opens their doors, the restaurants, everybody works together," DeGarmo said. "My theory was that if we can prove we can do it in a fire and flood, why can’t we do it to create good? Why are we not collaborating? Look at the power we [have] and that’s the place in which I work … re-establishing that community collaboration."
Sunday’s Replant Love event is co-hosted by Clarins, a brand for organic ingredients and locally grown plants. Water will be provided by sustainable brand Boxed Water. The event begins at 8 a.m. Sunday at the park, located at 3701 Lost Hills Road, and more information about volunteering can be found at replantlove.com. The organization is also looking for volunteers to help dig holes for planting on Friday, and interested parties should email Denise@themalibufoundation.org.
