Category: Cal SAF News

By Gary Brittner, Sac-Tahoe Chapter Chair

The California SAF Summer meeting and field trip was held September 16 – 17 in the Shaver Lake area. Vice-chair Rachelle Hedges, Executive Director Kathleen Burr, and others, coordinated an outstanding meeting and field trip.

Following the Thursday Executive Committee meeting, the evening dinner speaker was David Pomaville, former Fresno County Health Department Director. Hardly a speaker with any forestry connection I thought. He gave a great presentation because his department included the Fresno County Office of Emergency Services. He focused on the work they did starting several years ago following the massive die off from drought and bug kill in the Fresno County pine belt. Their aggressive approach to preparing for a potential wildfire set the stage and readied them for the 2020 Creek fire. In cooperation with SoCal Edison (SCE), USFS, Calfire, Caltrans, county road department, and a host of other cooperators they established safe ingress and egress routes along narrow twisting forest roads and highways and prepared strategic fuel breaks. Their well-planned emergency prevention plan made response to the fire feasible and the post fire mitigation and recovery work easier.

The field trip focused on how forest management saved SoCal Edison facilities and the Shaver Lake community from the 2020 Creek Fire. Stop 1 discussed treatments to control brush and timber along power line rights of way. There was a SCE power generating station at stop 1 too. Defensible space treatments protected the facility from fire damage (besides above ground facilities there was a water power generator about 20 stories below ground!). On its 50,000 acres of timberland, SCE has a property-wide Vegetation Treatment Plan approved by Calfire. In the area of Stop 2 a variety of methods were used to establish a fuel break. Treatments included falling, bucking, piling, and burning. Along a nearby county road, prescribed fire was the choice to reduce fuels. Both of these projects were supported by Calfire Fresno/Kings Unit staff. These treatment areas were essential for slowing the Creek Fire as it approached the facilities and community. Over the last year or so, prescribed fire was used on about 1,200 acres.

Stop 3 was a subdivision of old cabins. Fuel reduction for defensible space was tricky. Logging commercial trees was not feasible due to market conditions and cabin infrastructure. In this instance California Forest Improvement Program (CFIP) cost sharing was used to reduce fuels with hand labor, chippers, piling and burning. As the Creek Fire approached, Calfire dozers placed a line around the area and aggressive firefighting by engine crews snuffed spot fires within the subdivision. At the last stop, Calfire, SCE, and USFS staff discussed the Shaver Lake West fuel break, reforestation, and wildlife. This fuel break served as the anchor from which Calfire fired out as the Creek Fire attacked. The 400-foot-wide shaded fuel break was vital, like Stop 2, in robbing the Creek Fire of its destructive energy.

Regrettably, if you weren’t there on site you cannot appreciate the importance of the work that was done in anticipation of the “big one” and the drama that unfolded as the firefighters battled the flames. Kudos to SCE and Calfire.

Message from Diane Dealey Neill: “It’s that time of year again! We are very excited to be hosting in-person events this year and we hope you will be able to join us. Approximately 25 to 30 volunteers are needed per event to make this happen. The event dates for the 2021 Forestry Challenge are:

Shasta Forestry Challenge – September 29-October 2, 2021 at Mountain Meadows near Shingletown
Santa Cruz Forestry Challenge – October 13-16, 2021 at Redwood Glen near Loma Mar
El Dorado Forestry Challenge – October 27-30, 2021 at Community of the Great Commission near Foresthill
San Bernardino Forestry Challenge – November 10-13, 2021 at Hume SoCal near Lake Arrowhead

If you are able to spend as little as a few hours or as much as a few days, please visit the website and follow the link to the volunteer registration form at the top of the homepage. You can be reimbursed for mileage at the volunteer rate of 14 cents per mile, and meals and housing are provided. Volunteers also receive a fabulous event t-shirt! You are welcome to volunteer for any “job” that is best for your schedule and interest. A list of jobs, including the duties and hours for each, is linked on the volunteer form.

We will be implementing extra safety precautions this year due to Covid that are required in order to host in-person events. Our policy is attached to this email and is also linked on the volunteer form. We ask for your patience and understanding so we can continue to provide forestry education to California’s high school students.”

SFGATE talked to J. Keith Gilless, the dean emeritus of UC Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources and chair of the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection about what you need to know.
 
Why has the WUI recently become such a widely discussed topic?
 
“The losses of homes and other structures in the fires California has experienced over the last decade have drastically changed people’s perceptions of wildfire,” said Gilless.
 
“People are now thinking in terms of how fires affect communities to a much greater extent, whereas in the past, it was more of an environmental impact,” he continued. “We did have catastrophic fires, but the frequency of fires that have burned hundreds of homes has not been lost on the public. It makes us think: Are we living in a way that is consistent with the natural fires that characterize California?”
 
Though Gilless believes that the devastation caused by the wildfires is comparable to the catastrophic structure losses following the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, he said people are reacting with more urgency due to the sheer frequency of wildfires they’ve faced in recent years. That frequency, he added, is highly unusual.
 
“Normally, people are exposed in a significant way to some natural hazard that’s characteristic of where they live very few times over the course of a lifetime,” said Gilless. “Due to the recent wildfires in both Northern and Southern California, wildfire as a natural hazard has been brought to the consciousness of the public on a much more frequent basis than some other natural hazards, which are just as serious and should require just as organized of a social response.”
 
What’s the difference between “good” and “bad” fires — and why do I keep hearing about them?
 
Establishing a clear distinction between the two helps provide a more nuanced message to the public, said Gilless.
 
“The whole Smokey the Bear message seems to tell us that all fire is bad, which is not the case,” he added. “Fire is a part of our lives and will be a part of our lives, no matter what actions we take. We have to find a way to live with fire.”
 
Historically, the state’s attempts to suppress wildfires have led to higher rates of “fuel loading,” or the rate of fuel volume per acre where a fire is taking place. The higher it is, the more heat a fire will produce. Good fire, then, is fire that acts to reduce fuel loading and eliminate latter fuels. These fires also cause what Gilless calls “good mortality” because they create an environment that’s conducive to the needs of certain species of wildlife.
 
“It’s also patchier on the landscape in the sense that we don’t create homogenous forests,” he added. “Having the burn there that’s light enough and on a scale consistent with the inherent regenerative mechanisms of the forests makes a good fire.”
 
Conversely, bad fires not only create a vast area of high mortality, but damage wildlife habitats for several species.
 
“They create a landscape where the scale of the efforts that are necessary to restore it are not ones that our political process is used to dealing with,” he said. “The bigger the scale of the fire, the harder it is to say, ‘How will we deal with this in a timely fashion? What resources will be mobilized? Where will the financing for reforestation come from?’ You’ve got the spikes and the need for a social response that affects institutions and budget mechanisms.”
 
Referring to recent lightning complex fires, he added, “Part of the problem there is if you’re set up to attack fires in one county and are faced with hundreds of lightning strikes in that area, you might find you have to respond to more incidents than you have the resources to deal with in your usual fashion.”
 
To read the rest of the interview, go to the SFGate website at https://www.sfgate.com/california-wildfires/article/Berkeley-expert-wildland-urban-interface-wildfires-15520238.php

Forest Conservation Days (FCD) began in 1992. This will be the second time that the annual event has been cancelled since it’s inception. FCD was cancelled in 2015 due to a wildfire that closed the YMCA Camp at Sequoia Lake where the event is held, as the YMCA Camp was converted to a fire camp (additional concerns surrounding air quality led to the decision to cancel the 2015 event).

Typically, FCD has hosted between 900 to 1000 sixth grade students per year to provide them with an outdoor experience and to learn about natural resources.

Every year the Western Chapter’s student committee awards 3 students with a scholarship to help with the conference registration.  The committee’s goal with the scholarship is to expose students interested in the industry and give them the opportunity to network with professionals.

Scholarship Information: Students are invited to apply for a scholarship to the 2020 Annual WCISA Conference & Trade Show Reach your Highest Peak at the Resort at Squaw Valley in Olympic Valley, CA on November 9 -12, 2020. The $300 scholarship will cover conference registration which includes 3 days of educational programming, access to the exhibit hall featuring top tree care companies, and a special student/mentor gathering. Each scholarship winner will be required to serve as a volunteer at the conference. Students are also encouraged to visit and network with the exhibitors and members. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be enrolled in a 2- or 4- year college (not high school) working towards a degree in a field related to Arboriculture. 

The student must provide proof of student status before the scholarship can be awarded.

Online Student Scholarship Application.  Application Deadline October 15, 2020.

Looking for Donations: The scholarship is to cover the registration cost for the conference, but the committee would like to offer more to these future leaders in the arboriculture industry.  If you are interested in donating to the the scholarship fund, please contact Rita Franco at (559) 784-8733, rita@wcisa.net.  All donors will be recognized at the annual conference by placing your name on a poster.

Kathleen Burr is now the California Society of American Foresters’ Chief Executive Officer. A short biography for Kathleen as follows:

Kathleen Burr

Being awarded the position of CEO with California SAF Kathleen hopes to bring more collaboration between SAF & CLFA – something her CLFA Board has discussed in the past.  Agriculture and forestry have always been important to Kathleen as evidenced by her career path.   Kathleen lives on a small ranch in Acton.  She shows and raises cutting horses – making the world finals twice in the last seven years.

From Kathleen, “I am very excited about this position and look forward to working with the California SAF Board”.

The Fire and Aviation Management program seeks specialized positions, including: Dispatch, Engine Crews, Fire & Fuels Management, Helitack, Interagency Hotshot crews, and Prevention. For more information, please visit https://firelibrary.org/trackingdb/

SACRAMENTO–Geri Bergen, former Tahoe National Forest Supervisor, was posthumously awarded the Francis H. Raymond Award by the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (Board) on November 6, 2019. This award is given to the individual, organization, agency, or company who has contributed the most to the management of California’s natural resources. Criteria includes volunteer participation and achievements reached as a professional.

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Throughout Bergen’s life, she was recognized as ‘the first woman’ – in her professional schooling, career promotions, and professional organizations. She attended the University of California, Berkeley as it was the only forestry school that accepted women at that time, and she was the first woman to attend Forestry Camp at Cal after receiving the Dean’s permission to attend. She began her career with the Forest Service in 1967 in the Pacific Southwest Regional Office. She was the first woman promoted to a line officer position as the Deputy Forest Supervisor of the Tahoe National Forest in 1978. In 1985, she was selected as the first woman Forest Supervisor in the nation and continued her work in the Tahoe National Forest. She was the first woman in the Society of American Foresters (SAF) to become Fellow and was one of the first two women to be elected to the
SAF Council. She was also one of the first woman to become a California Registered Professional Forester and later served on the Professional Licensing Committee.

Bergen was nominated for this award by the California State Society of American Foresters. At the award ceremony in Sacramento, Bergen’s daughter Kathy Schermerhorn accepted the award on behalf of her mother. Bruce Van Zee, former Tahoe National Forest staff officer and member of the Society of American Foresters, gave a presentation highlighting Bergen’s career and achievements. Board Chair Keith Gilless provided a stirring tribute to her and Board Member Rich Wade later stated, “It was a lovely and touching ceremony highlighting Geri’s strengths and trailblazing accomplishments.”

Bergen simply loved being outdoors. Her fondness for nature helped spur the direction of her career and she continued that admiration and care in her daily living after retirement. She spent many hours in her forested yard, making sure it was fire resistant, tending to the plants and trees, and
watching the birds and squirrels nosh on treats she provided to them. She loved walking her dog Jenna along the canals and forested trails of Nevada County. In a recollection Bergen wrote for the SAF, “One Woman’s Journey,” she stated, “It was a great career. I was fortunate to have many opportunities to prove myself and my abilities and to savor the rewards of my efforts. In both my career and my professional accomplishments, I feel I
really did achieve my goal of being a practicing conservationist.”

Geri Bergen passed away October 12, 2018. As the first woman line officer in the Forest Service, she must have found satisfaction in seeing women rise to the level of Regional Forester and to the head of the agency as Chief.
For more information on Bergen and her career, contact Julie Lydick, California Society of American Foresters awards chair, at djlydick@comcast.net or (916) 207-8305.

View the original press release from the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection here

This workshop series will help landowners develop plans to improve and protect their forest lands in an ecologically and economically sustainable manner. The workshops will address management objectives and planning, forest restoration, fuels reduction, project development, permitting, and cost-share opportunities. To learn more, visit https://ucanr.edu/sites/forestry/Forest_Stewardship/Forest_Stewardship_Workshops/