Manzanita

I am a native Californian who loves Manzanita plants. No other plant equals this distinctive shrubby tree with its reddish sculpted trunk and branches. While it is not officially endangered, it has been threatened by the recent California wildfires and mismanagement in response to those fires. Massive clear cutting of the chaparral and replacing it with weedy grasses is a common practice. However, these grasses do not make good wildlife habitat, are not as effective for erosion control, and they, too, are flammable. Instead, selective clearing to create strategic fire breaks and defensible space is a more viable approach.