A giant sequoia tree in Oregon
(Nice surprise during a Willie Nelson concert)
Volume 2, Number 67 - Monday, July 29, 2024
Published every Monday and Thursday
Perspective
A VACATION can do wonders for one’s perspective. Last week, I took a half-vacation — still writing and gathering information while enjoying time with family in Southern Oregon.
Two highlights of the trip were visiting Crater Lake National Park and a Willie Nelson concert in Jacksonville, a tiny town west of Medford.
Oregon has wonderful forests. According to oregonforests.org, about 34% are privately owned, 2% are tribally owned, and the remaining 64% are owned by the state and federal government (mostly federal). Nearly half (about 47%) of Oregon is covered by forests.
On the drive from Medford to Crater Lake, it wasn’t always clear to me who owned which forest land, but I saw plenty of evidence of active management in most areas, with burn piles large and small. And from a vista point near the lake our tour group saw smoke from distant lightning-caused wildfires.
The 183,224-acre Crater Lake National Park includes the lake and the forest surrounding it. While that’s a lot of land, the park is still much smaller than Yosemite (761,747.5 acres), Kings Canyon (461,901.2 acres) or Sequoia (404,062.63 acres) national parks. About 122,000 acres of Crater Lake NP are managed as wilderness.
Crater Lake is the only national park in Oregon and was the fifth national park when it was established on May 22, 1902. Only Yellowstone, Sequoia, Yosemite and Mount Rainier are older.
About a dozen species of conifers grow in the park, along with Quaking Aspen and Black Cottonwood. (Although many non-native giant sequoias grow throughout Southern Oregon, I didn’t see any in the park).
The Britt Sequoia
Who would think one could encounter a 162-year-old giant sequoia tree on the way to a Willie Nelson concert?
The concert was held at The Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville, Oregon. A nonprofit cultural organization operates the venue on the grounds of the former home of Peter Britt, a pioneer photographer and skilled horticulturist who helped establish Southern Oregon’s fruit industry.
Britt planted the tree on March 22, 1862, the day of his son Emil’s birth.
According to a nearby plaque, about 27 years ago, the tree was about 205 feet high and had a circumference of 18 feet. It is an Oregon Heritage Tree.
Wildfire, water & weather update
Normal hot, not awful hot, in most of California as we begin the week — except for the Southern Sierra where a Red Flag Warning remains in place. According to the National Weather Service, a Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. The warning is in effect until at least 11 p.m. tonight and impacts the Tehachapi area (where I live) and areas around Lake Isabella and much of Sequoia National Forest. The best Sierra Nevada weather forecasts are at NWS Hanford, HERE, and NWS Sacramento, HERE.
The largest wildfires in the Sierra Nevada this morning are in the same areas as the Red Flag Warning. In a report just after 7:30 this morning, Cal Fire reported the three fires known collectively as the 2024 SQF Lightning Complex had burned 82,699 acres, broken down as:
• Trout Fire: 23,369 acres - 33% containment
• Long Fire: 9,204 acres - 39% containment
• Borel Fire: 53,010 acres - 0% containment
A total of 1,060 personnel were assigned to the fires, according to the latest report.
On Saturday morning, the fire was managed under unified command between California Interagency Incident Management Team 14 and the Kern County Fire Department. Another federal incident management team—CIIMT 11—was expected to join unified command yesterday morning.
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"Crater Lake is the only National Park in Oregon"
John Day Fossil Beds NP would like a word...
Source: used to be the senior Supvy Fire Prevention Officer on the Malheur NF just east of the Park and did Coop Fire Prevention out around the Park in conjunction with COFMS and ODF John Day and Fossil Units.
Actually, according to the NPS, John Day is a national monument, but it's hard to keep track of all the distinctions: https://www.nps.gov/state/or/index.htm