Eaton Canyon Natural Area

The 2025 Eaton Fire was part of a wave of destructive wildfires that struck Los Angeles County in January 2025. Driven by a powerful Santa Ana wind event, the Eaton Fire burned more than 14,000 acres and destroyed over 9,400 structures. The broader January 2025 fire season in Los Angeles County forced more than 100,000 residents to evacuate, destroyed thousands of homes, and burned tens of thousands of acres of wildland-urban interface, making it one of the most significant fire events in recent Southern California history.

For the communities around Altadena, the impact was deeply felt, with thousands of homes and neighborhood fabric lost and natural areas like the Eaton Canyon Natural Area left severely burned and destabilized.

Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation Department commissioned Studio-MLA to help plan a long-term recovery approach that aligns fire ecology, cultural stewardship, scientific research, and public access so the landscape and community can both heal. Guided by the Resource Management Plan (RMP), this work emphasizes habitat regeneration, invasive species management, native seed collection and banking, on-site nursery cultivation, and stewardship partnerships that reflect how Southern California landscapes recover over time through care, observation, and sustained human involvement. This effort brings together a broad coalition of partners with complementary expertise.

Studio-MLA brings decades of regional experience to the project, pairing science-based restoration with education and outreach that invite the public to understand, participate in, and steward the landscape’s recovery.