Eastern Mojave Vegetation	Effects of the Hackberry Complex Fire in Mojave National Preserve, June 22-25, 2005.
	Tom Schweich

Topics in this Article:
Effects
Plants
Literature Cited

This page is a work-in-progress as I put together the information I can assemble about this devastating fire.

Literature Cited:
- Burn Area Emergency Response Team, 2005.

The Hackberry Complex fires began on the Mojave National Preserve on June 22, 2005 at approximately 12:00 Noon as a dry lightning storm rolled through the Preserve. Three separate fires on Hackberry Mountain were reported by a San Bernardino County Road Department that eventually burned together to become the Hackberry Fire. At approximately 5:00 PM hours a second storm rolled through the Preserve and two additional fires were reported near the Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Center. These fires became the Narrow and Wild Horse fires. The Brant Fire was reported at 6:00 PM and the Ranch Fire was reported by residents at 7:00 PM. At the peak of the incident there were 1,133 personnel on the fire including 5 helicopters, four air tankers, two single-engine air tankers (SEAT), and 15 engine crews. A total of 70,736 acres were burned. The cost to date to suppress the Hackberry Complex fires is approximately 3.1 million dollars.

Literature Cited:
- Burn Area Emergency Response Team, 2005.

Vegetation resources were impacted to varying degrees as fire intensities varied across the landscape. Combinations of wind, fuel, slope and plume-driven fire behavior contributed to difficult suppression conditions. Thunderstorms moving through the area caused downburst winds with little to no precipitation over the fire area. Suppression resources were pulled back to safety zones several times during the incident. The Mojave Desert was lush with vegetation following a record-setting winter and therefore rates of spread were extreme.

Literature Cited:
- Burn Area Emergency Response Team, 2005.

Hackberry Complex fire suppression actions included construction of 2.3 miles of hand line. Fire suppression forces impacted 47 miles of roads. In addition, associated suppression actions included 2 fire camps, and multiple helispots. Approximately 19,129 gallons of retardant, 30,000 gallons of foam, and 96,010 gallons of wet water was delivered by aircraft.

The Park Service has posted a map showing the spread of the fire at http://www.nps.gov/moja/hackberry.pdf

Effects

Wild Horse Mesa

Other articles:
• Wild Horse Canyon Road: n. face of Wild Horse Mesa;

Locations: Wild Horse Mesa.

The north face of Wild Horse Mesa after the Hackberry Complex Fire, June 22-25, 2005.

By the fire map, the entire top of Wild Horse Mesa burned, as well as the entire north face of the mesa. However, as you can see in the left middle of this photo, the area underlain by the white soil (Winkler Formation, lacustrine limestone) did not burn.

Images:
North face of Wild Horse Mesa after the Hackberry Complex Fire

Some areas on the slopes of the mesa did not burn, presumably because of the sparse vegetation. My plots in Frasera albomarginata are found in this area, and may not have burned.

Wild Horse Canyon

Lower Wild Horse Canyon

Other articles:
• Wild Horse Canyon Road: in lower cyn;

Locations: Wild Horse Canyon.

Patchy burned areas in lower Wild Horse Canyon.

The fire came down this face of Wild Horse Mesa in the lower canyon, leaving patchy areas unburned. Photograph taken June 27, 2005 by Phil Woodall.

Other articles:
• Wild Horse Canyon Road: in Wild Horse Cyn;

Locations: Wild Horse Canyon.

Patchy areas burned on the slopes of Wild Horse Mesa.

Other articles:
• Wild Horse Canyon Road: in Wild Horse Cyn;

Locations: Wild Horse Canyon.

Burned slopes in mid-Wild Horse Canyon.

There is a rock outcrop in the mid-section of Wild Horse Canyon. This is an identified archeological site and, supposedley, site of some rock rings, although I have never found them. At this location the fire burned right down to the wash and Wild Horse Canyon Road.

Other articles:
• Wild Horse Canyon Road: in Wild Horse Cyn;

Locations: Wild Horse Canyon.

Near the top of lower Wild Horse Canyon

The upper section of lower Wild Horse Canyon was completely burned by the Hackberry Complex Fire, June 22-25, 2005, except for some small patches on the other side of the wash and up near the rim of the mesa.

Other articles:
• Wild Horse Canyon Road: in Wild Horse Cyn;

Locations: Wild Horse Canyon.

Looking south into Wild Horse Canyon.

The upper Wild Horse Canyon has several areas with well-developed pediments. This one burned completely in the Hackberry Complex Fire.

Upper Wild Horse Canyon

Images:
Looking east across upper Wild Horse Canyon from the hill above Winkler's Cabin.

The entire upper Wild Horse Canyon burned except for small patches here and there. From this photograph, it also looks like my experimental plot in Salvia dorrii has burned as well.

Winklers Cabin

Locations: Winklers Cabin.

Winkler's Cabin.

Winklers Cabin is a miner's cabin in the upper reaches of Wild Horse Canyon. Often visited by those "in the know," it had a sign over the door saying, "Leave what you can, take what you need," and a log book inside with writings from many year's visitors.

Locations: Winklers Cabin.

Winklers Cabin burned to the ground.

Unfortunately, Winklers Cabin was burned to the ground by the Wild Horse fire of the Hackberry Complex. Phil Woodall, a frequent visitor to the cabin, visited on June 27, 2005, and took this photo.

Images:
Entrance to the Blue Jay Mine, caved following the Hackberry Fire Complex.

It appears that the shoring around the entrance to the Blue Jay Mine at Winkler's Cabin burned substantially, allowing additional collapse.

Between Wild Horse Canyon and Lobo Point -- My Plot in Salvia dorrii

Other articles:
• Transect 5: Introduction;

My plot at LoboPoint

In April, 1996, I established a plot along the access road to Lobo Point. This plot was 5 m wide by 50 m long. I identified and measured every plant in the plot.

Images:
White 40 in April 1998

Population of F. albomarginata and Salvia dorrii by observation date.

In April, 1997, I went back and individually staked every Salvia dorrii in the plot. The El Niño year of 1998 saw the establishment of many seedlings. Many of the seedlings survived until the drought years of 2002-2003, when every seedling perished. I thought this was a significant finding that a population of about 50 plants could generate about 70 seedlings, none of which survived to bloom and set seed.

Images:
Salvia dorriiWhite 38 on May 28, 2005.

In 2004, being a good year, the few surviving Salvia dorrii bloomed, raising the prospect of seedlings in 2005.

Images:
Before and after photo (warning, large image: 1.8 MB)

Before and after photo.

Unfortunately, though, the plot burned completely in the Hackberry Complex fire.

Images:
My plot in Frasera albomarginata after the Hackberry Complex Fire

The Hackberry Complex Fire burned quite close to my plot.

My plots in Frasera albomarginata on the north face of Wild Horse Mesa and the south face of Pinto Mountain were not burned, even though the fire came quite close.

Images:
Former plot in Salvia dorrii

The above ground parts of every plant were destroyed by the fire.

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 8-Jun-08 at Transect 5;

Lobo Point plot 1 year after fire.

This effectively terminates my study of population dynamics in this population of S. dorrii.

The fire in my previously measured plot does, however, raise some new possibilities. Here are some new questions that I may try to answer by continuing to work in this plot:

Which plants will resprout from roots or underground stems?
Which plants will set new seedlings from seeds left in the soil?
How long will it be before some of the non-resprouting shrubs re-appear in the plot?

So I think my plan will be, assuming agreeement by the Park Service, to study fire response in a desert scrub population.

Lobo Point

Mid Hills Campground

Other articles:
• Wild Horse Canyon Road: near Mid Hills CG;

Locations: Mid Hills Campground.

Campground entrance after Hackberry Fire Complex

Locations: Mid Hills Campground.

Entrance koisk burned by the Hackberry Complex Fire

The information kiosk at the Mid Hills Campground burned to the ground.

Locations: Mid Hills Campground.

Camp site in the Mid Hills Campground after the Hackberry Complex Fire.

Locations: Mid Hills Campground.

Camp site in the Mid Hills Campground after the Hackberry Complex Fire.

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 8-Jun-08 in Mid Hills Campground;

Locations: Mid Hills Campground.

Camp site #25 in Mid Hills Campground 1 year after the Hackberry Complex Fire

Other articles:
• Black Canyon Road: Near Wild Horse Canyon Road;
• Wild Horse Canyon Road: Near Black Canyon Rd.;

Locations: Round Valley.

Intersection of Wild Horse Canyon and Black Canyon Roads after Hackberry Complex Fire.

This panorama, taken June 27, 2005, after the Hackberry Complex Fire of June 22-25, 2005, shows that much of Round Valley burned as well as a good portion of Pinto Mountain.

Plants

Rare Plants

Mojave National Preserve is a refuge for 103 species of rare plants as described by the State of california in conjunction with the California Native Plant Society (CNPS). Approximately 38 may have been burned over by the Hackberry Complex. There is limited information regarding the potential effects of the fire to these species. The Burn Area Emergency Response Team has prioritized ten species for focused monitoring with the potential for future treatments based upon assessment information.

Response to Fire

Plants that definitely resprout from roots

Yucca baccata Torrey

Symphoricarpos longiflorus A. Gray.

Chamaesyce albomarginata (Torrey & A. Gray) Small.

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 20060607220;

Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis Liebm.) 1 year after the Hackberry Complex Fire.

Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis Liebm.) resprouting after the Hackberry Complex Fire.

Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis Liebm.)

Dalea searlsiae (A. Gray) Barneby.

Salazaria mexicana Torrey.

Sphaeralcea ambigua A. Gray.

Mirabilis multiflora (Torrey) A. Gray.

Fraxinus anomala S. Watson.

Prunus fasciculata (Torrey) A. Gray.

Keckiella antirrhinoides (Benth.) Straw ssp. microphylla,/i> (A. Gray) N. Holmgren.

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 7-Jun-06 near Cedar Canyon;

Verbena gooddingi 1 year after the fire.

Verbena gooddingii Briq.

Plants that may resprout depending upon possible damage

Echinocereus triglochidiatus Engelm.

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 7-Jun-07 near Wild Horse Mesa;

Ephedra viridis resprouting one year after the fire.

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 20060607170;

Lycium andersonii 1 year after being burned.

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 7-Jun-06 near Pinto Mountain;

Lycium cooperi approximately 1 year after a fire.

Lycium cooperi A. Gray.

I'm pretty sure that this is L. cooperi, but the leaves are very large, much larger than I usually see on this plant. Perhaps the size of the leaves is related to the plant having been burned.

Images:
Beavertail (Opunita basilaris) sprouting after a fire.

Opuntia basilaris Engelm. & J. Bigelow.

Images:
Pancake Cactus (Opuntia chlorotica) resprouting after the Hackberry Complex Fire.

Opuntia chlorotica Engelm. & J. Bigelow.

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 7-Jun-06 in Mid Hills Campground,;

Desert Bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata glandulosa) resprouting after the Hackberry Complex Fire.

Purshia tridentata (Pursh) DC var. glandulosa (Curran) M. E. Jones.

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 7-Jun-06 near Cedar Canyon;

Yucca brevifolia resprouting 1 year after the Hackberry Complex fire.

Yucca brevifolia Engelm.

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 20060608030;

Yucca schidigera resprouting one year after Hackberry Complex Fire

Yucca schidigera K. E. Ortgies.

Plants that were not observed resprouting:

Opuntia acanthocarpa Engelm. & J. Bigelow var. coloradensis L. Benson.

Juniperus osteosperma (Torrey) Little.

Salvia dorrii (Kellogg) Abrams.

Pinus monophylla Torrey & Fremont.

Coleogyne ramosissima Torrey.

Recovery From Fire

Other articles:
• Transect 5: 20100;

On April 29-30, 1996, I measured a transect near Lobo Point. The purpose was to develop a quantitative understanding of the plant species growing on the bajada north of Lobo Point. Since I measured every perennial plant, it was possible to prepare absolute measures of density and coverage by species. The results are shown in my page: Transect 5 in Blackbrush Scrub Near Lobo Point, Mojave National Preserve, California.

The transect was burned completely by the Hackberry Complex Fire.

On June 7-8, 2006, I measured the same transect again. Once again, I measured every perennial plant, skipping over the dried annuals. The resulting statistics are shown below.

Summary Statistics

Column	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Data	Absolute Density	Absolute Coverage	Absolute Frequency	Relative Density	Relative Coverage	Relative Frequency	Importance Value
Species	D	C	F	RD	RC	RF	IV
Verbena gooddingii Briq.	139	13.993	6	0.641	0.795	0.231	0.555
Yucca baccata Torrey	19	1.431	5	0.088	0.081	0.192	0.120
Salazaria mexicana Torrey	38	0.802	2	0.175	0.046	0.077	0.099
Sphaeralcea ambigua A. Gray	11	0.228	5	0.051	0.013	0.192	0.085
Mirabilis multiflora (Torrey) A. Gray	2	0.629	2	0.009	0.036	0.077	0.041
Yucca schidigera K. E. Ortgies.	3	0.209	1	0.014	0.012	0.038	0.021
Mirabilis bigelovii A. Gray	1	0.173	1	0.005	0.010	0.038	0.018
Prunus fasciculata (Torrey) A. Gray	1	0.095	1	0.005	0.005	0.038	0.016
Eriogonum sp.	1	0.027	1	0.005	0.002	0.038	0.015
Physalis sp.	1	0.009	1	0.005	0.001	0.038	0.015
Ephedra viridis S. Watson	1	0.006	1	0.005	0.000	0.038	0.014
Totals	217	17.602	26	1.000	1.000	1.000	1.000

Literature Cited

A list of all literature cited by this web site can be found in the Bibliography.

Burn Area Emergency Response Team. 2005. Burned Area Emergency Stabilization Plan: Hackberry Complex. Primm, Nevada: National-Interagency Burned Area Emergency Response Team, July 5, 2005.

If you have a question or a comment you may write to me at: tomas@schweich.com I sometimes post interesting questions in my FAQ, but I never disclose your full name or address.

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Date and time this article was prepared: 8/1/2026 3:01:03 PM