Ecological Succession in the Bearpaw Reserve

The El Dorado Fire began on September 5, 2020 in Yucaipa, California. A fire broke out after a gender reveal party mishap that set the nearby brush ablaze. The fire spread eastwards to the Bearpaw Reserve in the San Bernardino National Forest. The fire continued to burn for nearly two months and reached full containment in mid-November 2020. Over twenty-two thousand acres of land was burned leading to the displacement of wildlife (Inciweb, 2021).

Remote Sensing collects data of land and objects through radiation from earth's surface to satellites, without physically going to the area of interest. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data of the Bearpaw Reserve was collected from the Landsat 8-9 Operation Land Imager (OLI)/ Thermal Infrared (TIRS) satellite. NDVI consists of Near-infrared radiation (NIR) and red light that radiates from the earth's surface to the satellite to distinguish vegetation cover from bare land, clouds, and water (Center of Spatial Studies, 2022).

Formula :

NDVI = (NIR - Red) / (NIR + Red)

With Landsat 8-9, the Near Infrared (NIR) is Band 5 and the Red band is Band 4.

• Life zone of the Bearpaw Reserve
• 3,500 feet - 7,000 feet in elevation
• Bearpaw Reserve Seasonal Temperatures on Cameras: ~ 30* F Winter, ~ 100* F Summer
• 8 - 20 inches of precipitation a year
• Between Lower Sonoran (Redlands, CA) and Transition life zone (Big Bear Lake, CA)
• Pyrophytes - Fire- adapted plants

The continued research in the Bearpaw Reserve contributes supporting evidence of ecological succession. The findings demonstrate the impacts of ecological disruptions on species distribitions and the ecosystem as a whole. The plant competition among invasive and native species was also monitored to see how vegetation adapted to aridity and fire. Hopefully, these findings will encourage more strict conservation regulations and improved fire management. Future research would compare nearby fires to observe how climate change is affecting successional timelines.

The  University of Redlands Environmental Studies Department  provides its students the opportunity to apply their knowledge of GIS, ecology, physical geography, plants, and climate science in the field. Field days led me to appreciate the surrounding geography and realize how fortunate we are to be located along the unique and biodiverse San Bernardino Mountains of the Transverse Mountain Range. Exposure to fieldwork and data collection gives students an insight into careers in conservation, GIS, and environmental research. Thank you to  The Wildlands Conservancy  for preserving the natural landscape and allowing students to conduct research. I appreciate Xavina Walbert, Cambria Wade, Natalie Garofano, TJ Carson, and Marina Wesel for their extensive hours of video processing and assistance in the field. Lastly, a special thank you to  Dr. Wendy McIntyre ,  Nathan Strout ,  Dr. Ruijin Ma , and the donors of Student Science Research for supporting my continued research in the Bearpaw Reserve.