LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
Wildflowers and Wildfires Paint Different Scenes in the Sierra Nevada
“ Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm ."
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
One of my favorite summer weekend pastimes is to go hiking in the mountains . When it gets hot in the valley , I head for the cooler air and refreshing scenery of the mountains . Growing up in Nevada City , I was surrounded by forests , and I think that ’ s why I ’ ve had a lifelong appreciation for trees .
On two recent weekends , some friends and I explored the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada mountains . Getting to Wrights Lake and hiking to an elevation of about 8,200 feet took a seven-hour climb and a 2 1 / 2-hour descent . It was a very steep ascent . On our way to Woods and Fourth of July lakes , we climbed 4.3 miles straight up to a similar elevation , then hiked 4.3 miles downhill to return — a total of 8.6 miles .
Both of these hikes were a bit of work , but there was a great reward for our effort — gorgeous scenery , fresh air and muscle toning . August is one of the best times to enjoy wildflowers in the higher elevations . The colors were amazing and looked like a painted canvas .
But the vivid colors were a stark contrast to the bleak gray and blackness we found on what seemed about 20 miles of our drive to the trailhead , the aftermath of the massive Caldor Fire that devastated nearly 220,000 acres between Pollock Pines and Kirkwood last year , one of the largest megafires in the state ’ s history that burned for three months . What seemed like millions of lifeless trees stood in the ash of seared brush . It looked like a war zone . We all gasped , almost in unison .
It was disheartening to see so much destruction . But it also made my friends and I
wonder what was going to be done to bring back these forests . I thought about possible ways to turn this tragedy into something constructive . Are there ways to salvage the timber , perhaps to make up for the astronomical lumber price increase that home builders are facing these days ? It appeared only the outer area of the trees was charred — perhaps the wood inside was still usable . Could salvaged trees be turned into an environmental asset — perhaps as an alternative fuel to create electrical power ? I don ’ t have answers .
Massive wildfires , so-called megafires , were once thought to be rare . Now they seem to happen so regularly that a new name pops up on the fire list every week . On the day I wrote this column , the McKinney Fire was still burning near Yreka after destroying 60,000 acres over three weeks .
Last year , there were 8,835 wildfires in California that consumed more than 2.5 million acres of valuable timberland , California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection statistics show . Eight of the state ’ s largest wildfires have occurred in the last five years , some of which have also cost human lives .
But fire isn ’ t the only culprit here . Gross mismanagement and drought have created overgrown forests of insect-damaged trees choking in underbrush . Global Forest Watch estimates that California has lost 147 million trees to drought and fire since 2010 .
I ’ m told that options for creating something useful from all this destruction are limited and dwindling when we need them the most . Salvage operations often come out second best in a race against time , money — and worms .
Some harvested wood is turned into usable two-by-fours , but many burned trees are left behind without roads to reach them . Plus , the logging industry has been shrinking for decades . One Nevada City company where my brother worked for over 40 years is down to 15 trucks instead of 80 . And less than half of those are being used for timber .
Over many years , nature can restore burned out forests , but in the short term , trees decompose and become infested with worms and insects . After about two years , the largest trees lose half their value and are not worth harvesting . A small amount of harvested trees are used in biomass facilities to generate electricity . But that industry peaked in the early 1990s , when there were 66 facilities statewide . Now there are fewer than two dozen , hampered by the cost of transporting wood waste and some shuttered by air quality regulations .
Even with these setbacks , there may be reasons to be optimistic about restoring our lost forests . The Lewis A . Moran Reforestation Center at UC Davis has been growing seedlings for over 100 years , specializing in species important to the Sierra . Last year , they produced 225,000 seedlings but have plans to expand their facilities to produce more than 1 million seedlings a year . Also , the recently adopted state budget includes $ 1.2 billion over the next two years to increase controlled burning to better manage timber lands and reduce fire danger . It will , of course , take years of this to reverse the management practices that have turned fires into uncontrollable infernos .
August will always be for me one of the best times to enjoy the colorful splendor of the Sierra . With a little rain from nature and time , I ’ m hoping that , in a decade or two , the drive to the trailheads will be just as inspiring and enjoyable as the hike through the high country .
Winnie Comstock-Carlson President and Publisher
September 2022 | comstocksmag . com 13