California Chaparral Institute Archives

Major Lawsuit Against CalFire Won

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on June 13, 2025 with No Comments

A California appellate court has sided with environmental groups in a major California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) lawsuit against the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire). The Court’s ruling indicated that CalFire failed to fully evaluate the wildfire risks of its vegetation treatment program. The California Chaparral Institute and Endangered Habitats League, challenged the state’s failure to address “type conversion”—the replacement of native habitat with more flammable vegetation. Hills For Everyone commented during this public review process, and supported the lawsuit, but was … Read More

Chaparral is All Over California

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on July 21, 2021 with No Comments

Did you know that chaparral is a shrubland habitat found in every county in California? Yep! It is especially found in foothill elevations and is adapted to hotter and drier summers with wetter winters. Many shrubs have evolved to have small tough leaves to reduce water loss. Visit https://californiachaparral.org/chaparral/ for great information.

Great OpEd on Wildfires and Planning

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on December 7, 2017 with No Comments

Rick Halsey with the California Chaparral Institute writes a great OpEd on California wildfires. “As we do with earthquakes and floods, our goal should be to reduce the damage when wildfires arrive, not pretend we can prevent them from happening at all. That mindset starts at the planning department, not the fire station.” Check out the OpEd in the Los Angeles Times.