Emergency response
Update from Forest Service on status, funding and more
Volume 3, Number 21 - Monday, Oct. 21, 2024
Published every Monday and Thursday
Perspective
IN JULY 2022, Forest Service Chief Randy Moore approved what is known as the Giant Sequoia emergency response. Work to reduce fuels in some giant sequoia groves was authorized because the agency believed the work was necessary to protect giant sequoia groves. I’ve reported many times on this work and a related pending lawsuit (HERE),
More than two years later, what’s the status of the work and is ongoing work threatened by the Forest Service’s budget woes (more HERE)?
Gretchen Fitzgerald, ecosystem staff officer for Sequoia National Forest (SQF) and Giant Sequoia National Monument, and her colleague Marianne Emmendorfer, forest silviculturist and giant sequoia specialist, responded to my questions about the emergency response, funding, and work in the Packsaddle Grove by Save the Redwoods League (that I reported on last Thursday HERE).
Here’s what Fitzgerald had to say about the status of the emergency work:
1. I have read that the Forest Service is facing a reduced appropriation. Can you tell me how this will affect funding for OC crews that have been used to do work in the groves related to the Emergency Proclamation?
As you know, Forest Service funding is provided by Congress. We are currently under a continuing resolution and we won’t know what our budget will be until Congress passes the budget. OC crews are primarily wildland firefighters. We were able to use their help and labor under the Giant Sequoia Emergency Response to reduce fuels around the giant sequoia trees that were most vulnerable to a high-severity fire. That emergency work is mostly completed. We still have thousands of piles to burn and may use a few crews this winter to help with the burning if we can find funding.
2. Has all of the Emergency Proclamation work been completed? If not, what remains, and is there funding to pay for it?
As I mentioned above, there are thousands of piles to burn. There isn’t any extra money to pay for the burning. It will have to be completed with existing staff and appropriated project dollars, once Congress passes a budget.
3. How will the reduced appropriation impact giant sequoia land management and specifically fuel reduction and replanting?
Fuel reduction has recently been paid for through disaster supplemental and Inflation Reduction Act funds. Some agreements still have funds to continue working for another year. Reforestation is covered under a trust fund specific to reforestation, and we will be able to continue to plant trees.
Regarding recent work in Packsaddle Grove, Fitzgerald and Emmendorfer teamed up to respond to my questions. You can read Save the Redwoods League’s response to the same questions HERE:
1. When did the work in Packsaddle Grove take place? What level of fire risk was present at the time? Did any fires start? What measures were taken, if any, in case a fire started during the work?
The work in Packsaddle started in summer and is continuing into the fall of 2024. Fire risk was low at first and increased over the summer. Certain activities were stopped when temperatures were high, such as running chainsaws or heavy equipment that can start a fire. Other activities such as manual piling is allowed to continue. The contractor is also required to have firefighting equipment including 500+ gallons of water, hoses and firefighting tools on hand, and monitors after work is completed under certain circumstances to prevent a fire start. It is all spelled out in their fire plan, which is another requirement in our contracts. Since they were working in the Windy Fire footprint in a recently burned area, they were given a variance to continue working once the days started getting shorter and cooler. No fires were started.
2. How much money was or will Save the Redwoods League be paid for the stewardship work in Packsaddle Grove?
Save the Redwoods was funded to work in partnership with the Forest Service for work on four groves over five years. Packsaddle is one of those groves. (Save the Redwoods league already provided the costs for the current work, see HERE). We are working with them to complete some restoration activities in Freeman Creek Grove as well, starting next year.
3. Were any living giant sequoia trees removed during this work? If so, please describe.
Most of the trees cut were dead trees killed in the Windy Fire. No live giant sequoia larger than 12” diameter were cut. Smaller trees may (have been) cut if they were a hazard.
4. Will all downed logs from the grove be removed? Please explain.
No, mechanical work was conducted around the edges of the grove. Any slopes over 35% and any areas away from the roads are being treated by hand. Trees up to 12-15” in diameter are being piled for future burning. Some areas have abundant down logs that are too big to burn and are not accessible to move. These would have fallen naturally over time and are now cut so they are on the ground and can rot easier. Once the piled material is burned, we may have crews go back out and pile more areas to further break up fuels. At present, we’re balancing reducing ladder by cutting down some trees, and not creating extremely large burn piles where a lot of fuel remains on site.
5. What will happen to the logs?
Logs that can be are being hauled off. The smaller logs left will be burned and the rest will stay on site. (as noted in last Thursday’s newsletter, Save the Redwoods League provided this information HERE).
6. Were naturally regenerated giant sequoia seedlings disturbed during this work? Please explain.
While it is possible that incidental Giant sequoia seedlings may have been disturbed, crews were trained and told to protect and avoid them. Most of the work where giant sequoia are growing was hand work and contractors worked hard to avoid damaging them. It must also be noted that some of the dead trees and limbs are already falling, which can land on tree seedlings. The highest priority sequoia seedlings to protect were those where there’s no longer a cone-bearing sequoia close by. Again we’re balancing reducing ladder and surface fuels to prevent a stand-replacing event, while protecting as much of the current tree seedlings and remaining large trees as feasible.
I’ve observed that disturbing photos, such as Sue Cag included in the post I referenced last Thursday (HERE) may not tell all the story. This is why I reached out to Save the Redwoods League and SQF for their input.
Fitzgerald and Emmendorfer told me that most of the mechanical work was outside the grove boundary, where no giant sequoias were growing.
“In some areas, the forest will look like it was clearcut,” they noted. “But what happened is that it was severely burned and all the trees were dead, so they were felled to reduce fuels for the future seedings.”
Burn, Town Hall meeting planned at Calaveras
Calaveras Big Trees State Park has reported on Facebook that “with current conditions and resources, the updated target date for the South Grove prescribed burn is Oct. 28. All burning depends on weather and air quality conditions. If weather or vegetation conditions are not conducive for burning and smoke dispersal, State Parks will reschedule the treatment.”
The treatments will cover approximately 1,300-acres in the South Grove area and an additional 247 acres in the vicinity of West Moran and Love Creek and State Parks staff will be assisted by Cal Fire, the Forest Service and National Park Service.
For more information, the community is encouraged to attend a town hall style meeting in-person, as well as virtually. State Park’s Central Valley District’s Natural Resources Team will share information on the planned prescribed burning this fall.
Here are the meeting details:
Thursday, Oct. 24, from 6 to 7 p.m.
Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Educational Resources Room, 1170 CA-4, Arnold, California.
Webinar Registration: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/.../e50a3c9a-b045...
For questions send email to amber.sprock@parks.ca.gov.
During the prescribed burning, visitors should expect park closures, including the South Grove Trail, Beaver Creek area, Bradley Grove Trail, fire road around the South Grove, and the Walter W. Smith Memorial Parkway south of the Stanislaus River. Additional closures may be in place to accommodate operations in the other prescribed burn units. Closures will remain in effect until conditions favor reopening. Smoke will remain in the area for some time after active firing has stopped.
All prescribed burn units have been prepared for treatment. California State Parks, Cal Fire, and contractors have spent several years preparing the South Grove Preserve for treatment. Crews have removed large fuels and masticated material along the fire road surrounding the South Grove to create a control line around the 1,300-acre unit. Additionally, crews have prepared large giant sequoias by removing heavy fuels and organic matter from their base to reduce the likelihood of negative impacts from fire.
Wildfire, water & weather update
Generally cooler, and that’s a good thing. Predictive Services (HERE) continues to show very dry fuel in the Central and Southern Sierra and there’s lots of good data on its website. The California Drought Map (HERE) shows “abnormally dry” through much of the Sierra Nevada. A web tool (HERE) lets you see a smoke forecast for the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada (not much this morning). The best Sierra Nevada weather forecasts are at NWS Hanford, HERE, and NWS Sacramento, HERE.
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