Posted on 10/30/2006 9:04:15 AM PST by NormsRevenge
Tree-cutters have removed dead and dying trees from 30,000 acres near Idyllwild, but plenty of fuel remains on the 70,000 acres that haven't been cleared, officials said.
Limited resources for tree cutting have been concentrated on clearing hazards near highways and in populated areas and on building firebreaks.
"We've tried to do everything we can with the money we have to protect the towns of Idyllwild and Pine Cove," said Bob Sommer, a vegetation management specialist with the Forest Service.
Since Thursday, the Esperanza Fire has consumed more than 40,000 acres of dry vegetation in the San Jacinto Mountains. Three firefighters died when they were overrun by flames while protecting a home in Twin Pines; a fourth died at Arrowhead regional Medical Center and one remains in critical condition with severe burns.
The fire was pushed by Santa Ana winds that subsided Saturday. Firefighters said they were beginning to feel some optimism about gaining control of the blaze, fire officials said.
Drought, bark-beetle infestations, seasonally dry chaparral and invasive grasses combined to create the tinderbox conditions that fueled the fire. Since 2002, millions of trees in the San Bernardino National Forest, which stretches from Wrightwood through Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino County and south to Idyllwild in Riverside County, have died from a bark beetle infestation and drought.
Hundreds of thousands of dead trees have been removed by various agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, the two counties, Southern California Edison and private landowners. But many more remain.
Just as dangerous as the dead trees is the dry chaparral that hasn't burned in decades, and the dried-out non-native grass in the foothills and lower elevations, said Richard Minnich, a professor of geography who specializes in fire ecology at UC Riverside.
As the plants get older, their water content decreases and they become more flammable, Minnich said.
The Esperanza Fire has burned in chaparral 40 years old or younger, he said.
Farther east, past Lake Fulmor and Pine Cove, the chaparral hasn't burned in 60 to 100 years, Minnich said.
"If the fire were to get in there, it would be a bomb going off," he said. "It would explode."
Growing on hillsides at lower elevations is a strain of European grass introduced to the area a century ago. The grass becomes extremely dry, catches fire quickly and spreads the flames into the chaparral.
On private land in Riverside County, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has cleared 52,410 trees, said Hal Carey, a forester with the service. Congress has allocated $120 million to the agency since 2003 for fuel reduction efforts in Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, he said.
Southern California Edison has spent $185 million removing 178,000 trees near power lines, said Mike Boyd, a spokesman for the utility.
"We are attempting to clear anything that could possibly fall into our electrical facilities," Boyd said.
Assemblyman John Benoit, R-Palm Desert, who held two forums on the fire threat in Anza and Idyllwild in the last three months, said more must be done to thin the forest.
Benoit said progress has been made in populated areas in the past three years, but many mountain communities such as Idyllwild and Pine Cove remain vulnerable.
"At some point in time, that's still fuel waiting for the day it's ignited," Benoit said.
Sierra Club - Happiest when California Burns!
Soil Erosion, loss of wildlife and habitat, uncountable financial loss....
That is Sierra Club preservation - at its worst!
Last season's rain forest conditions didn't help and the whole business of claiming drought in the desert as an unforseen event is a bit silly.
What is sillier is building in the middle of the equivalent of a shallow lake of fuel oil and expecting someone to come along and collect all the matches.
The reason the "Bigs" maintain a high wholesale price is because your and my USFS has NOT offered the timber sales like they did prior to 1990. The result is it forced the Small lumber mills out because they used to rely on public timber for their raw product. The reason the USFS hasnt offered over 12 billion BD FT like they used to is because of evironMENTAL law suits which forced them to quit offering these sales-cost to much to fight those suits you see.
One other thing. The USFS (as well as state agencies)have been virtually taken over by tree huggers withing the bottom ranks, I.E. district managers etc. If they cant stop us from logging it, they'll regulate it to death..and they are!
The "bigs" can also maintain a high price because we now import a VERY large part of our construction lumber. Just go to your local building center and look at all that beetle killed (blue stained)spruce coming from CanFor as well as Russia. Blue Stain is the first step in Rot.
Answer? Get the local counties to file suit and take away the area federal timber lands and place them into county control. I. E. is Marinette Co Wisconsin. Last year this county took in more than 2 million in timber sale revenue and nearly 60% of that money went into the local school districts. In the USFS program only 25% is to go to local school systems. But when they dont sell timber, nothing goes into the school coffers. The result is our kids and education system suffers from lack of revenue. But what the hey..its better to pass more property taxes isnt it? SARC.
How many here enjoy paying for those rich environMENTAL lawyers fees for the suits they bring for the likes of the Sierra Club?
Its true! Most suits brought by the environMENTALISTS (concerning timber) are financed by us taxpayers. Take that away and you would cut the head right square off the snake.
Whats the BSA target for those areas?
The upper midwest its over 80 (USFS and States), which is far to much. 70 (private and timber co's)is by far a better target.
Thanks.
Letting small family operations manage small parcels of public lands for economic, social, and envirnomental needs would be wonderful. Reviewed by a forester and not by a judge.
Because it make alot of logic sense, it will never happen.
This is a question better for carry okie. He sent me this link, too. :
" Whats the BSA target for those areas?
The upper midwest its over 80 (USFS and States), which is far to much. 70 (private and timber co's)is by far a better target."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1008628/posts
Marinette has always controled their timber lands. Ever since the Peshtigo fire they were determined to aggresively manage these lands to NEVER allow forest fire of a major kind happen.
I believe in Utah there is a county that filed suit to take away federal lands and I think its still pending. It is a constitutional matter according to this county. I also believe there are several other such cases pending..of course they might never be heard because the US Supreme Court would have to rule in the locals favor. But if enough counties filed one never knows. What would they do?..if a couple hundred counties filed such a case?
fact; Harvesting and tree lenght skidding of the harvested timber simulates burn. As long as they skidd it DOWNHILL and not up.
Now there are some species that do not do well under tree lenght skidding harvesting. Its a matter of common sense.
It has function. They just don't want you to be able to use it. They'd rather let the land be scarred. Funny thinking for environmentalists, from my pov.
"They'd rather let the land be scarred."
And the lumber wasted.
That part goes without saying.
Controlling your own private (versus public) lands always seems to be a smart choice. The lumber companies were smart to buy, manage, and harvest their own lands. They can choose to hire foresters to make scientific decisions...
Going thru any government agency brings in the sierra club lawyers with their hands out for their fees. Foresters who want to manage the public lands in a responsible manner can be easily blocked by the activists and their lawyers.
In Utah and elsewhere, RS 2477 Rights-of-way fights are a big deal (for me at least). We both know (but lurkers here may not) that keeping historical roads open also helps fire fighters have access with their equipment to promptly respond.
I hope that more counties exercise their RS 2477 Rights.
Common sense is one of my goals.
Going with the experts holding graduate degrees (in biology, forestry, etc.) , decades of real world forest experience, and the passion/pride of making the correct decisions is far better than using clever sierra club lawyers who shop for weak, emotional judges.
I am sure that there are many excellent ways to simulate a burn.
Also clear cutting can be useful as grassy open fields can be best for elk, deer...
At least we know the Dhimmicrats won't try to use the raging wildfires like they used Katrina -- for political shenanigans. But that's only because, this time, the fire was arson, and the arsonists will turn out to be Dhimmicrats.
" the arsonists will turn out to be Dhimmicrats..."
Because the DUmmies will not allow science to be the deciding factor in these decisions...you are correct.
Small fires should not so easily explode if the forest was healthy in the first place.
The green enviro terrorists have set up the conditions where most of our forests are tinder boxes full of brush and dead beattle infested trees. They don't want the brush nor dead trees removed. They love forest fires and worship them.
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