POST-DISASTER RECOVERYWhat It Takes to Regrow a Community After Wildfire
As it recovers, Altadena finds inspiration in other wildfire-devastated communities that have replanted lawns, gardens, and green spaces with fire-resistant native species.
Seeds are special for Nina Raj, a docent at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center and the founder of the Altadena Seed Library in Southern California. So when Raj and her partner fled from the Eaton Fire on January 7, her first thought wasn’t to pack clothes or important paperwork. Instead, she grabbed Matilija poppy, California buckeye, sage, and buckwheat seeds from her greenhouse — part of a seed bank she’d started to gather alongside a team of volunteers.
Raj’s home escaped the fire unscathed. But the rest of Altadena, known as a thriving hub for multigenerational Black and Latino families, wasn’t as lucky. The Eaton Fire burned at least 9,400 structures and killed 17 people there; up the coast, the Palisades fire destroyed more than 6,800 structures and killed 12. Both blazes were fueled by bone-dry conditions and hurricane-force winds. Climate change helped set the stage for the extra-dry fuels and nonexistent rainfall: A study published last month found that such hot and dry conditions are about 35 percent more likely due to climate change.
Recovery is still nascent; people began reentering burned neighborhoods in late January. But Altadena residents say that when the time comes, they’re ready to thoughtfully regrow their community, once full of lush trees, native plant landscaping, and backyard vegetable gardens.
The Altadena Seed Library, a network of seed exchange boxes, is leading the charge. Raj’s project began in 2021, with several little seed libraries stationed around the community. Seed libraries mimic regular libraries, but instead of books, people check out (and use) envelopes of seeds for free. Now, Raj and other volunteers are working on a game plan for regrowing the lawns, gardens, and urban green spaces that combat shade inequity and increase food sovereignty in their neighborhood — and looking to learn from other communities that have also seen their landscapes drastically altered by destructive wildfires.
Donated seeds and tools are pouring in from locals and places around the country, as well as compost, pots, trees, and personal protective equipment for people cleaning up the hazardous waste leftover from burned homes and melted cars. “We’ve had a pretty overwhelming response,” Raj said. “People have been so, so generous.” Individual volunteers and organizations like Club Gay Gardens, a nonprofit in nearby Glendale, are helping sort the donated seeds.
