Burning and roadwork continues

Recovery and proactive work keeping public agencies busy

Volume 2, Number 21 - Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023
Published twice a week, on Monday and Thursday

Access to Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove will be limited through Oct. 27. The National Park Service reported on Facebook earlier this week that Mariposa Grove Road will be closed through Oct. 27 for repairs due to damage from storms last winter. The only access to the Mariposa Grove during the road closure will be on foot via the Washburn Trail. This trail is two miles one-way with approximately 500 feet of elevation gain. There will be no shuttle service or bike access to Mariposa Grove during the closure. — NPS photo via Facebook

Perspective

IT’S A BIG JOB to try to keep up with news of just the small part of the Sierra Nevada where giant sequoias grow. And it’s an even bigger job for the public agencies that are trying to restore infrastructure damaged by wildfires of previous years and epic storms earlier this year. On top of that, efforts to restore forest health are challenged by the weather, staffing and a myriad of other issues.

The caption for the photo above calls attention to a road closure to the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite due to the need to make repairs. Further south, Mountain Home State Forest and Tulare County’s Balch Park didn’t even open this year because the roads are such a mess. And people who live in the Upper Tule area of Sequoia National Forest have waited months for what is expected to be the reopening of Highway 190 to Camp Nelson at noon today. The Porterville Recorder has a report about that HERE.

I tried to cover the Town Hall meeting that Calaveras Big Trees State Park held Monday evening. I was able to watch the presentation but had no audio; I’m still hoping to try to get a copy of the presentation and audio.

The State Parks issued a news release reporting that its planned 1300-acre prescribed burn in Calaveras Big Trees State Park may begin as soon as Oct. 30. You can read the news release HERE, and I’ll report more when I have the information.

Yosemite Fire and Aviation’s Facebook page this morning reported that due to the forecasted hotter temperatures, there will be no active prescribed burning for the rest of this week, but operations may resume as early as Monday.

I’m working on an update about prescribed burning for Monday’s edition.

The future of this newsletter

I’ve been considering the future of this newsletter and my Giant Sequoia News efforts. I knew when I started that I wanted to accomplish far more than I could by myself. It’s taken a while for me to get a better idea of how to go forward. If there is sufficient support, I think I would like to reshape this effort into a nonprofit news organization. Up to now, the work has been partly supported by a few paid subscribers. I’ve funded most of the expenses through money I earn from other writing.

On one occasion, I paid another freelance writer. I pay for newspaper and newsletter subscriptions, some of which provide gift links for readers. I pay to access court documents. And I’ve paid for travel to workshops, tours and meetings.

If I thought I was able to do an adequate job, I’d probably keep this up forever.

But there is much not being covered by any journalist, and I’d like to see an improvement.

The next step, which I’m exploring now, is to find experienced, knowledgeable journalists working at publications serving regions of the Sierra Nevada with giant sequoia groves and work out paid freelance agreements.

But to do this, more subscribers — and specifically more paid subscribers — are needed.

So, if you’re reading this and would like this effort to continue, I’m asking that you consider a paid subscription and perhaps also share the newsletter with others who you think would like to read it and subscribe.

There is a difference between journalism and activism, and I’ve done my best to try to cover different points of view. But I’m also open to having guest columns from time to time from groups or individuals who want to share opinions. If you’re interested in that, please let me know.

There was a time when newspapers up and down the state had reporters who did a fine job of covering giant sequoia and related Sierra Nevada issues. Those days are gone forever.

I think Giant Sequoia News could grow to fill the resultant void. But I need help.

If you have ideas, please reach out.

Wildfire, water & weather update

Warmer than usual now, but expect temperatures to drop and a chance of rain over the weekend in northern areas of the Sierra Nevada. The best Sierra Nevada weather forecasts can be found at NWS Hanford, HERE, and NWS Sacramento, HERE. And according to the National Climate Prediction Center, much of California will be warmer than usual through Nov. 1. You can see the map HERE.

Wildfire update: A few small fires and prescribed burning continue at many locations in the Sierra Nevada. If you check out the WatchDuty map HERE you’ll see a string of green flame icons where prescribed burning is taking place. 

Wildfires include the Rabbit Fire on Sequoia National Forest (2,549 acres with 85% containment as of Tuesday afternoon) and the Redwood Fire (1,957 acres with 45% containment in Sequoia National Park, according to the latest report from Oct. 14).

The Sycamore Fire was discovered in Sequoia National Park, near the Ash Mountain Helibase and the Ash Mountain Entrance Station, on Monday afternoon. The fire spread uphill through grass and brushy fuels. Tulare County Fire and CALFIRE aided NPS resources in initial attack. Forward progress on the fire was stopped at approximately 25 acres. On Tuesday, the National Park Service the cause of the fire on the SEKI Facebook page. An NPS employee was using a gas-powered circular saw to cut metal in the maintenance yard off Sycamore Drive. This is a normal operation, but in this case produced sparks that ignited nearby grass, the report said. The employee reported the fire to park dispatch and attempted to extinguish it but was unable to do so. No further growth of the fire is anticipated, but the NPS said it will remain staffed through the upcoming predicted hot weather.

Photo shows a fixed wing aircraft dropping fire retardant on the Sycamore Fire in Sequoia National Park on Monday afternoon. — NPS/Maggie Zarlengo

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Giant sequoias in the news

• I missed this earlier, but Guy McCarthy of the Union-Democrat on Sept. 15 reported that a federal court of appeals dismissed an environmental group’s challenges and upheld a previous ruling in favor of the park service, allowing thinning to prepare for prescribed burning in Yosemite to resume. Read more HERE.

• The good news for California, currently, is that nearly all of the state is out of drought. The not-so-good news, according to a Washington Post article on Monday, is that California is among places in the world with more demand for water than available resource. You probably knew this, but you still might want to check out the article HERE (gift link) because the supporting graphics are very interesting.

• A press release from the USDA yesterday reports that the Forest Service is making nearly $50 million in grant funding available for proposals that support crucial links between resilient, healthy forests, strong rural economies and jobs in the forestry sector. You can read it HERE.

• This is National Forest Products Week, and the USDA’s Brian Brashaw, Assistant Director, State, Private & Tribal Forestry, Wood Innovations, wrote a piece published HERE about the relationship between forest management and the forest products economy. Here’s an excerpt:

Healthy forests depend on a healthy forest products economy. The forest products economy and sustainably harvesting trees helps to facilitate really important forest management activities. Activities like thinning forest stands of unhealthy trees, promoting more biodiversity, and lowering the risk of a large wildfire.

Giant sequoia around the world

Compton Verney is a parish and historic manor in the county of Warwickshire, England. This is a rural area located about 90 miles northwest of London. In the United Kingdom, giant sequoia trees are still commonly known as Wellingtonia. An impressive number of the trees were planted at Compton Verney as part of landscape improvements by Henry Verney, who inherited the title 18th Baron Willoughby de Broke in 1862. You can read more about the trees — and see photos — HERE.

Thanks for reading!

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