Culver City Parks Task 8.1 Final Plan - Flipbook - Page 146
Many of the species selected for understory
planting in Culver City have remained
unchanged since the parks were first
constructed. As opportunities for understory
and shrub replacement become available
through turf replacement and routine
maintenance, native and climate adaptive
species can be prioritized for climate resilience
and biodiversity. Creating thriving habitats
requires a diverse vertical planting structure
from tree canopy through mid-layer shrubs
and understory species. The arrangement of
plants in the plan should aim to mimic natural
plant communities in terms of species type,
quantity, and association to other species in the
community. This helps to ensure compatibility
and mutual support among the installed plant
species. Invasive plant species defined by the
California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC)
should be removed when possible and not
planted in new projects.
Establishing and maintaining robust regional
ecological connections will require continued
collaborations with interested partners and
related departments, such as Culver City Public
Works, LA County Department of Parks and
Recreation, and the Baldwin Hills Conservancy.
REDUCE FUEL
LOADS
BY PRUNING AND CLEARING DEBRIS
OR DEAD PLANT MATERIAL
CREATE
WILDFIRE
BREAKS
IN LARGER CONTIGUOUS
VEGETATED AREAS
FOLLOW CAL FIRE
FIRE-SMART
LANDSCAPING
PRACTICES FOR PLANT SPACING
Wildland Urban Interface and
Fire Risk
While Culver City generally exists within a densely urban
context, a few neighborhoods, such as Blair Hills and
Blanco/Culver Crest are directly adjacent to hillside
open space and parks such as Culver City Park, Baldwin
Hills, and Kenneth Hahn State Park.57,58 These densely
vegetated areas are prone to fire risk, but also provide
invaluable habitat that should be preserved. While
these areas contain the highest amount of California
native species in Culver City, many of native species
also coexist with non-native invasive species that pose
fire risk, such as eucalyptus tree species (Eucalyptus
spp.), tall pampas grass (Cortaderia spp.), and black
mustard (Rhamphospermum nigrum).
California native plant communities, especially
chaparral and coastal sage scrub, are adapted to
and thrive on occasional fires. However, with climate
change and human activity, the increased frequency
and intensity of wildfires are threatening native plants
and habitats.59 A fire risk management strategy can
be implemented without comprising native habitat
integrity as outlined in the goal to integrate sustainability
and climate resiliency into parks management,
design, and construction. General strategies include
reducing fuel load in the landscape, following planting
recommendations from Cal Fire, removing fire-prone
invasive species, and limiting fire-prone activities (such
as BBQs) at the height of the dry season.
REDUCE AND REMOVE
INVASIVE
CANOPY &
UNDERSTORY
SPECIES
WHICH CAN INCREASE
FIRE RISK
LIMIT
RECREATIONAL
ACTIVITIES
LIKE BONFIRES & BARBECUE PITS DURING
THE HEIGHT OF FIRE SEASON WITHIN
HIGH-RISK AREAS
Figure 150. A variety of landscape management can help reduce the risk of wildfire in high-risk areas. Source: OLIN, 2024.
146 THE PLAN // SYSTEM SCALE
