The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has received a $6.8 million settlement from Chubb Insurance to rebuild facilities lost in the Jesusita Fire.

The Jesusita Fire swept through the Botanic Garden on May 6, 2009, destroying 60 of the garden’s 78 acres, all tools and vehicles, and several structures, leaving charred trees and plants in its path.

With the $6.8 million settlement, the Botanic Garden can continue to rebuild the home demonstration garden deck and complete the designs to rebuild the Campbell Bridge, lath structures for plants, greenhouses, the director’s residence and the Gane House.

Acres of dead trees and debris have already been removed and replanting has begun. Garden President Ed Schneider said the insurance settlement funds will accelerate the recovery progress.

“We are pleased with the Chubb settlement,” he said. “They have been very attentive.”

Visitors touring the garden in recent weeks have seen signs of new life everywhere. Sprouting in burned stumps began within weeks of the fire, including in some of California’s rarest oaks, Quercus dumosa (Nuttall’s scrub oak). An early spring also has brought the return of some rare wildflowers known to occur naturally in the garden, in numbers greater than past years.

The staff has been sowing thousands of indigenous wildflower seeds throughout the garden, including along hillsides denuded by the fire.

“We are in for a magnificent display of wildflowers over the next few weeks,” Schneider said. “The entire devastation of the fire is only overcome by the awe of watching nature regenerate. As botanists, witnessing this recovery is as pure as it gets.

“The insurance settlement funds will go a long way toward bringing the garden back. These funds, along with the Vital Mission Plan, will ensure the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is once again a world class research and education facility.”

— Nancy Johnson is the vice president of marketing and government relations for Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.