“As in nature, as in art, so in grace; it is rough treatment that gives souls, as well as stones, their luster.” – Thomas Guthrie
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – I have been blessed to live in Lake County for more than 40 years.
Like others who live here, I am drawn to the myriad of nuances in the landscape.
The light in Lake County has always been conducive to viewing life and nature in new ways each time you look.
It is a land of opposites, with the light and dark of shadow-play off the mountains: the Mayacamas, Cobb Mountain or Mount St. Helena.
The polarities of our seasons – fall and spring, the contrast of the rainy season to dry times, all serve to enhance this feeling of the energy in Lake County's lands.
Without Lake County's lush cloak of conifers, oaks, madrone and manzanita our relationship to the landscape is altered forever.
The waters of Lake County, be they streams, lakes or springs, still meet a psychological or metaphorical need for the language of the land.
The emergent boulders, stones, crags and crevices which have made themselves known – along with new plant growth, after the fires – all have brought about a new kind of awareness of a different kind of beauty.
The landscape, with its clouds, light and shadow, reflect new images of Lake County. We tentatively feel the pulse of this new landscape.
We are aware of new elements in this altered, austere land. We grieve for the devastating loss of homes, belongings and cherished lifetime memories which were lost in the flames. We mourn the loss of the staggeringly beautiful forests and rich habitat.
But, also like so many others, we hold hope for a bright, albeit different future of our close-knit communities.
Registered Professional Forester Greg Giusti answered some questions relating to the effects of the Valley fire of September 2015.
I asked, “Do you know how many trees have been sent to logging mills, and where the mills are located?”
Giusti replied, “ Logs have been harvested from both public (Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest) and private lands. The logging is not yet complete so we won’t have a final count until sometime next year after the Board of Equalization puts out a report. But at the height of the logging (June through July) Boggs Mountain alone was shipping 100 log trucks per day. They expect to remove between 45 to 50 million board feet of timber. Boggs is sending their logs to Mendocino Forest Products (Ukiah), Sierra Pacific Industries (Lincoln) and Collin’s Pine (Chester). Most of the private logs are being exported to China.”
When I inquired if the logging process, i.e., taking down the damaged trees is nearly complete, Giusti answered, “It’s winding down but there are still several trucks a day coming off of Boggs. However, there are thousands of acres that are not being logged across the fire area. I think we will see trees being cut for several years to come. By next year the standing trees will have little economic value so those that are not harvested this summer will probably not be merchantable. But cutting trees will continue to minimize liabilities and hazards.”
I asked him how many trees he believed Lake County lost in the Valley fire. Giusti replied, “Million!! A very conservative estimate of 100 trees per acre times 70,000 acres is seven million trees. I’m sure that number is woefully low. That’s just conifers, as many of the oaks, maples and other hardwoods were top-killed, but the organism survived and are now sprouting.”
When I inquired, “Do the landowners, or does the county see any monies from the logging?” Giusti answered, “Private landowners who commercially harvest trees, are paid for their logs. From those proceeds they must pay for the consultant (Registered Professional Forester, RPF) who put together the logging plan, the falling and logging of the trees and the transportation to the mill. The county will receive monies from the timber yield taxes that the landowner must also pay. The tax is paid to the Board of Equalization.”
I further inquired, “What do you see coming back in the Boggs Forest, Middletown Trailside Park and the Land Trust's Rabbit Hill?”
He replied, “The fire hit in a year with very low number of cones in the Ponderosa Pines. In the absence of reforestation efforts pines will be absent from these areas for many years (decades). Boggs is reforesting with pines, several landowners are also planning on reforesting their lands. However, several thousand acres will most likely become dominated with oaks that are sprouting following the fires.”
When asked if we are near the end of the drought, he said, “No! Not even close. We had an OK year but the lingering effects of the drought continue and water tables have not fully recharged. Some locations are better than others.”
I asked Giusti, “Are there any tree re-planting efforts going on now, or planned in the future, and may the public help?”
Giusti replied, that 100,000 seedlings are being grown for replanting efforts in 2017. More will be needed for future years.
Lake County Rising and the Local Rotary Clubs purchased the seedlings. The Lake County Resource Conservation District will administer the distribution of the seedlings later this year.
There is a desire to get groups involved in the replanting. Both the Cobb Mountain Elementary School and Middletown High School have expressed an interest in getting involved too, he said.
Further, “Many of the trees that burned were at least 90 years old. We will see saplings in 20 years. In 40 they will look like trees. In 90 we’ll be back to pre-fire conditions. Growing a forest is not like growing tomatoes, it will take time. But in time, things will start to look better.”
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.
