Despite last October's fire, the Inverness Ridge is ripe for another conflagration because the terrain surrounding the burned area closely matches that which went up in flames.
So warned members of the Phoenix team, a group of arborists, fire ecologists, and scientists who Wednesday released their report, "After the Fire" after six months of studying the areas scorched last fall.
The group - under the auspices of the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin - compiled the $25,000, 80-page document largely as guide for Inverness Ridge residents, many of whom have yet to start rebuilding after the fire.
"For those of us living along the Inverness Ridge, the question is not if, but when the next big fire will occur," said Point Reyes Station's Claire Peaslee, who designed and edited the report.
Practical advice is given on home construction, planting, drainage, access roads, and on controlling the spread of aggressive exotics such as Scotch Broom, pampas grass, Monterey Pine, and acacia.
John Grissim, director of the Environmental Action Committee organized the Phoenix Team last December. Members enlisted for their expertise were Inverness forester Tom Gaman, Berkeley geomorphologist Laurel Collins, Bolinas arborist/fire ecologist Ray Moritz, and Carol Rice, a wildland fire management consultant from Walnut Creek.
"The members of the Phoenix team have put together a cohesive guide with marvelous resources and hands-on, no-nonsense advice keeping a longer strategic goal in mind: to prevent future fires," Grissim explained.
He noted the report is particularly valuable because it cuts through the blizzard of government documents "from every state and federal agency imaginable" sent after the fire to homeowners in Paradise Ranch Estates.
"Sifting through those documents to glean what is most useful is a formidable task," Grissim said.
Gaman said "We wanted to create a document where people could learn something new on every page."
The report will be distributed throughout West Marin, with copies going to every homeowner in the Paradise Ranch Estates. In addition, copies will be available at the Point Reyes National Seashore Visitor Center, Inverness Public Utility District, and all public libraries.