A deer hunter — not pot growers, as some politicians with an agenda publicly stated — started the Rim Fire that burned through over 237,341 acres of land in the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park before firefighters finally got the upper hand. The 402 square mile fire blazed through more than $127 million of taxpayer money just fighting it. It began in the steep hills of the remote Jawbone Ridge area to the east of Groveland on August 17, 2013 and quickly spread out of control. Losses are estimated to be in excess of $50 million.
Category Archives: National Forests
Press release from the USDA:
Stanislaus Forest Supervisor Susan Skalski today announced the second phase of the Rim Fire recovery, Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will appear in the Federal Register December 6. The proposed action will include:
Firefighters in the Los Padres National Forest are launching a series of prescribed burns over the next several months to get rid of brush on the Mount Pinos Ranger District.
That area includes a small portion of Santa Barbara County.
Firefighters will be burning piles of brush that have already been cut down.
The prescribed burns could start as early as Monday.
The burns are taking place near the Pine Mountain Club, Frazier Park, and Lake of the Woods.
The Pacific Southwest Region of the US Forest Service has released a statement of its Leadership Intent for Ecological Restoration, which laid out the Region’s guiding vision and goals for its stewardship of wildland and forests for the next 15-20 years. The following draft document reflects the Regional leadership’s current thinking on how the Leadership Intent will be implemented. This draft is a beginning point for discussions with employees, partners, tribes, agencies, communities of place and interest and those who care about the future of their National Forests.
Like the Leadership Intent the Implementation Plan is fluid and we expect that adjustments will be made over time as the Region continues to collaborate; follow new science; and seek out and form new alliances. These ongoing processes will reveal new and smarter ways to increase the pace and scale of restoration work while balancing the ecological, social and economic benefits of our restoration actions. Regional leadership has committed to editing and improving this document following these discussions and then reviewing and updating it at least annually in the future years. Hence we invite discussion, input and insight to ensure that the Implementation Plan reflects and is responsive to new information, partnerships, and conditions.
The U.S. Forest Service has proposed changes that would allow public access to an additional 30,000 acres of the Cleveland National Forest for free.
The changes to Recreation Fee Areas would eliminate or reduce the size of six existing recreation areas where visitors are now required to have Adventure Passes.
The public comments period is open now through December 13, 2013. Comments may be submitted to:
Cleveland National Forest
Trabuco Ranger District
1147 East Sixth Street
Corona, CA 92879
or by email to: jfrodriguez@fs.fed.us
The full press release follows (you may also view it HERE):