Alerts for Organics Recycling Programs
Bark Beetle Infestation in Southern California
Background
Large numbers of trees and chaparral have died in Southern California due to years of drought and a population explosion of bark beetles. Composting and other organic processing facilities in San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego counties may process enormous quantities of wood waste as tree and vegetation removal occurs within or near the highly urbanized mountain communities within the three-county area.
Actions
On March 7, 2003, Gov. Gray Davis proclaimed a State of Emergency in Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties where hundreds of thousands of trees have died after being weakened by drought and bark beetles. The Governor directed the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF), to take immediate steps to protect public safety by clearing effective routes for evacuation and emergency response and by establishing fire safe evacuation centers. The Governor also tasked the Office of Emergency Services (OES) to support CDF (now known as CAL FIRE)in its efforts as well as to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to redirect $3.3 million in unused federal hazard mitigation funds to the three-county area. A horrific fire siege occurred during October and November of 2003 causing loss of life and catastrophic damage in Southern California Fire Siege 2003. Since that time, multi-agency taskforces have begun the monumental undertaking of removing dead trees and chaparral that pose an immediate fire threat to mountain communities and their evacuation routes. Major wildfires occurred in 2007 and 2008 despite significant fuel reduction efforts since 2004.
Resources
There were an estimated 1 million acres of standing, dead trees and chaparral in San Bernardino and Riverside counties in spring 2004, creating an extreme fire danger in Southern California. Tree deaths is most pronounced in conifer species in the mountains of the San Bernardino National Forest. The extreme fire danger associated with dead trees in the mountains of the Cleveland National Forest is compounded by an enormous amount of dead chaparral within San Diego County. A significant volume of dead vegetation was removed in the three-county area. Most of these dead trees and chaparral were found on government-owned land. In order to reduce the fuel loading that currently exists in the State recreational areas and the federal forest areas adjacent to numerous mountain communities, the majority of the cut timber and unprocessed wood waste was taken out of the area. There is no apparent relief from the bark beetle infestation or continued tree deaths exasperated by multi-year drought conditions until normal rainfall in Southern California occurs for about three consecutive years.
Bark Beetles and Zones of Infestation
Current Information on the Southern California situation
Each Mountain Area Safety Taskforce (MAST) in San Bernardino County or Riverside County and the Forest Area Safety Taskforce (FAST) in San Diego County made a number of recommendations to mitigate the fire danger and insure public safety in their respective communities. These three advisory organizations comprise government agencies, private companies, and volunteer organizations concerned with public safety in the mountain areas of their counties. CDF, Caltrans and Southern California Edison work crews began removal of high hazard trees near emergency refuge areas, along evacuation corridors, and under utility lines in 2003. Removal of dead and dying trees in Southern California intensified with the influx of multi-million dollar federal grant funds in 2004. San Diego County Public Works contracted fuel reduction work that began in 2004.
The US Forest Service (USFS), CDF, and local government agencies are receptive to entrepreneurial proposals regarding biomass use since a mammoth amount of dead vegetation from Southern California will continue to be processed in future years. CDF, USFS and San Bernardino County staff made portable mills available to various wood-product companies that initiated operations in San Bernardino County during 2003. The Colmax Energy biomass-to-energy facility located in Cabazon continues to use a significant portion of wood waste generated within Riverside County. Visit the MAST/FAST websites regarding private vegetation removal and public safety information available to local residents and people visiting the mountain communities in or near the San Bernardino National Forest or Cleveland National Forest.
Links
Organic Materials Management http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Organics/
Contacts: http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Organics/Contacts.htm