Plants need 20 years to recover after a devastating fire

When plants have at least 20 years to recover after a fire, they can go on for hundreds of years as a healthy habitat without fire, reported the Orange County Register.

The newspaper included this information in a graphic accompanying an article about the five-year anniversary of the devastating Santiago Fire, which scorched more than 28,000 acres and destroyed 42 structures in Orange County.

Sources of information for the plant recovery graphic included the UC Integrated Pest Management Program. If a fire occurs before the 20-year benchmark passes, it interrupts native plant progression and allows non-natives to take hold.

The Santiago Fire looms over large Orange County homes.

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