My forest burned down, what to expect now?

[striderzz]

I live smack dab in the middle of the Rim fire near Yosemite, Ca. The fire passed over my home/work a few days ago and I was able to get an escort onto property on Tuesday. We made it through with all structures intact (a miracle since we have over 60 buildings on site). It also looks like I will be going back home on Friday with a permit from the Sherrif so we can keep an eye on the property until they reopen to locals. Thank you to all the hardworking fire fighters!

So my question is, what will happen to my forest now? I have spent the past 10 years logging over 400 road miles on the fire roads in my area. My favorite past time is to load up the truck and spend my weekend gathering firewood and finding river spots. I know every nook and cranny in a 30 mile radius from my home and have explored much further than that.

So do they bring in loggers to remove dead trees? Are my beloved fire roads closed forever? How is the ash going to treat us in the years to come? Mud slides?

Would love to hear others experiences I I start to contemplate my future in such a devastated area.

Thanks
-nick

 

[R DeLawter]

I can't answer your questions but I send my thoughts & prayers to you and everyone in the area.

I myself have never witnessed that kind of disaster. It has to be hard.

 

[slowp]

It's hard to say. If you are surrounded by private land, and it is timber company land, they'll salvage what they can. If you are surrounded by National Forest, it may not be touched. They'll do some erosion control work, maybe dump some straw bales out of a helicopter, and seed.
If the environmental movement is strong, very little to no salvage logging will take place.

How will it turn out? How hot did the fire burn? That affects a lot.

I'll try to find an article written about an area by Wenatchee. Some folks claim it is barren, others say the birds have moved in. How long your snags will stay up depends on what species they were. If you have freshly killed trees around your house and you want them down, it is best to do it quickly, while they are still solid.

Now I'll look for that item.

Found this.
http://centralwashingtonfirerecovery.info/wenatchee-complex-post-fire-treatments/

 

[Gologit]

It's hard to say. If you are surrounded by private land, and it is timber company land, they'll salvage what they can. If you are surrounded by National Forest, it may not be touched. They'll do some erosion control work, maybe dump some straw bales out of a helicopter, and seed.

There's quite a bit of government ground down there. We've already started a pool about when or if there will be any salvage logging done. So far the pool bids run to statements like... "are you kidding me, that stuff will rot right where it is...". I hope that this time they're wrong but I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[slowp]

Sometimes, just a few times, I have heard that the Forest Service has been allowed to sell the hazard trees that will have to come down along busy roads. I'd be one to bet on not getting logged.

It'll be the BAER team who will decide about kicking bales of straw out of helicopters....but maybe that'll be too expensive right now.

 

[2dogs]

This is California. There will be more lawyers on this fire than firefighters. I'd guess the law suits will be in the thousands. Salvage timber? Hah! you mean wildlife habitat trees.

For your own case OP contact your County ag department and see if they have an erosion control mix or can recommend one. Straw covered by Jute and stapled down is usually good for open areas. Slope, well good luck with that.

 

[ft. churchill]

In '85 I hiked from hetch hetchy up to toulume meadows. It so sad fot me to see some of my favorite fishing grounds(Cherry lake, clavey river and the chunk of the toulume river below the dam all burn up.) I'm in the down wind section from all the smoke. I'ts so thick here that visibility is 1/4 mile on the worst days and 1 mile on the best days. I pray that all of you and the fire fighters pull thru with no losses.

 

[striderzz]

Interesting thoughts, thank you. The forest around be is vastly public lands with minimal amounts of private land. So it will mainly be the government who influences what happens around me.

I am also curious about the day to day of living in the area for the next few years. Anybody have experience with this? I am thinking about things I should be ready for like trees on the roads, mudslides?, ash storms? Critters invading?

I actually reviewed the equipment I have in my truck so I know I can get in and out. Chain saw, fuel, oil, tow strap, come-along, hi lift jack, shovel, axe, splitting maul, water and a mysterious ~20' length of chain. I am actually about to post a picture of the chain over in the Hand Tools forum to try and get it identified.

Any insight from living in a fire zone?

-n

 

[slowp]

For your own case OP contact your County ag department and see if they have an erosion control mix or can recommend one. Straw covered by Jute and stapled down is usually good for open areas. Slope, well good luck with that.

According to an erosion control company guy who was from CA, the best thing is to lay down straw on a slope and then fence some goats or sheep up on it. Their hooves will work the straw into the ground and they also provide fertilizer. Then you move to the next spot.

Got sheep?

 

[2dogs]

According to an erosion control company guy who was from CA, the best thing is to lay down straw on a slope and then fence some goats or sheep up on it. Their hooves will work the straw into the ground and they also provide fertilizer. Then you move to the next spot.

Got sheep?

Idaho, are you listening? Then again it's California. If you use sheep expect a CAFO lawsuit and a bunch of smelly hippies from PETA.

 

[RandyMac]

Did someone say "hippies"?

I have gone back to a few of the fires I fought, 90% were showing vigorous regrowth, some were washed down to the gravel.
Many factors are involved, too many for me to list. Expect some erosion, animals in transit, weedy growth later. It will be a mess for some time, your grandchildren will have a forest to play in.