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Wildfires in California

Started by DeerMeadowFarm, August 07, 2018, 10:26:47 AM

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timberking

I read my SAF news and see a team of scientist from USFS and U of Montana did a study of precip for the last 40 years and determined less rain means hotter fires.  I am shaking my head.

Ljohnsaw

The fires are getting a little too personal for me.  The 2003 Yuba Gap fire started near the North Fork campground - you can see the fire scar on Google Maps.  At 4:38 this afternoon a new fire started at almost the same location.  That is about 5 miles south of me.  It is at 650 acres at 10 pm with 0% containment.  No homes currently threatened.  On the plus side, there is still very little vegetation in the path from the fire to my (and my many neighbors') properties.  All the campgrounds (including the one adjoining me) for miles around were evacuated.  The fire seems to be going up the steep terrain to the east of the previous fire.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Ron Scott

Keep alert of the local fire activity.
~Ron

Ljohnsaw

Quote from: Ron Scott on September 04, 2018, 04:19:35 PM
Keep alert of the local fire activity.
I wasn't clear in the above post.  The fire is near my cabin project, not my year-round home where I'm at now.  Just the same, I'm trying to keep up with it.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Ljohnsaw

As of 0900 this morning, the North fire is at 1,274 acres.  A small fire and heading east (away from my cabin project), but only 17% contained.  Yesterday's I-5 fire north of Redding has taken quite the focus and resources to battle that one.  Both exits on I80 by my property are closed since Monday afternoon.

Map from this morning.  My property is up at the top about the "al" in Crystal Lake Road:


 
It started down buy the river (at a campground) around 4,800' and went over the peak at 7,000' yesterday afternoon.  The boundary of the fire is about 1 mile x 2 miles.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Magicman

I get anxious for you every time I see this topic come up.  My hope is that your property continues to stay safe.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Al_Smith

I just talked to my sister yesterday who is somewhere  in California .She said it was dry as a bone where she's at .

DDW_OR

this is the map i use
GeoMAC Wildfire Viewer

it has the following thermals
MODIS Fire Detection
VIIRS IBAND Fire Detection
HMS Fire Detection
Previous MODIS
"let the machines do the work"

RPF2509

The Geomac wildfire viewer is an excellent resource.  As of this morning I5 is still closed.  The Hirz and Delta fires have merged and the Delta and Carr fire will likely merge.  The Hirz and Carr fire are basically out.  The smoke here in N CA is overwhelming and everlasting, over 90 days with unhealthy air quality.  We thank our lucky stars when we get a wind shift and get some clear air.  I5 will likely be closed for at least a few more days.  Seems infrastructure has been damaged by heat - guardrails, light posts etc.  Hopefully bridges are ok as that would require an extended closure.  Know of truckers caught in the initial blowup and 300' flame length sheeting across the highway - 4 trucks destroyed more damaged but luckily no fatalities.  The detour around the fire adds a good 60 miles and at least 1 1/2 hours diverting interstate traffic onto a 2 lane state highway with few turnouts and passing lanes.  There have been 2 head ons already.  More accidents to come.  The weather is keeping thing slow.  Despite growing 20k acres in the first day the Delta fire has slowed due to cool weather.  Very challenging terrain as it is steep with few access roads.  Again the fire is fiercest in unmanaged national forest.  No communities at risk yet but if the weather changes, the fire will gain momentum.  Just so everyone knows  water does not put out a fire.  The typical strategy is to cut fireline to bare dirt ahead of the flame front then back fire from that line.  So fire is used to put out fire!  Water is only used to protect structures or mop up hot spots after the fire has passed.  New fires have broken out elsewhere in CA stretching resources.  I have seen fire crews from all over the US. here

DDW_OR

thank you for the update.

please add a location to your profile. state and nearest city is good enough.
"let the machines do the work"

BradMarks

Lets just say he is in the northern California area, call it good.

RPF2509

Norcal fire update - I 5 opened again after a 5 day detour.  6 people killed due to heavy traffic on back roads.  The most recent fire, the Delta is now 80% contained and should be wrapped up soon.  Smoke not so bad the past few days and we had beautiful blue sky yesterday.  The weather has turned to more fall like with cool days in the low 80s and cold nights.   The weather is what really puts the kibosh on fires.  There have been recent Septembers in the 90's and this would have stoked the fires well.  The Hirz, Carr and Delta fires can be considered one fire now at about 300K acres - not quite the record of 420K for the Mendocino fires.  Think about the size of that - A quick google maps measurement yielded a fire footprint of 25 x 35 MILES for the Mendocino.  As usual the fires are a mosaic of hot, medium and cool burns.  The Carr seems to have the greatest area of intense crownfire.  Talked to a forester who had seen it and he said you can see total canopy consumption for miles.  Sierra Pacific is rumored to have lost up to 400 million board feet of prime timber but worse is the thousands of acres of young regeneration units consumed. A high output mill will process 300 million board feet a year so all the nearby SP mills will be plugged.  Green timber sales will have to wait as the slug of burned wood is used up.  Trucks and loggers will be in short supply as SP monopolizes its clout to get them working on their land.  There are a few bright spots in the ash.  The National Forest road system will undergo badly needed repair, the deer herd will have an abundance of new growth to browse, and maybe politicians will get off their tuckus and get some badly needed reform in place.  I won't hold my breath on the last one as its hard to put a complex topic like fire ecology into short news bites for the general population and politicians to understand.

RPF2509

As of today the Delta fire is 98% contained at 60k acres.  We are being treated to another day of beautiful blue skies but have a red flag alert for winds and high temps - supposed to go to 90 for the next few days before a front moves in over the weekend and it cools again.  A bit of a nail biter now as the Tubbs fire started this time last year under similar conditions.  Drove I-5 over the weekend and saw the damage.  Mostly it looks OK from the highway as much of the I-5 corridor was subject to cool backburn which will bode well in the long run.  Still there are many areas alongside the highway that are overstocked and ripe for the next burn.  The segment around the point of origin was a different story - total crown consumption from the highway to the ridgetop.  This is where it went 20k acres in 24 hours.  Four main drainages completely burned out.  There were 3 huge chippers and a mountain of chips along the highway as the hazard trees are being cut, telephone and power linemen are resetting poles and restringing lines.  There will be a huge chance of mudslides this winter if it comes in fast and heavy.  They are saying 50 -50 % chance of an average winter which would be hard on the soil as most of the past few winters have been light.  Sierra Pacific Industries lost 57K acres to the Carr and Delta, another 10K or so was lost by other private owners.  Will hunt the edge of the Delta burn this weekend so will be able to see more.  Hopefully Caltrans will see fit to maintain the ROW a bit better so they can catch these things close to the road.

RPF2509

Yesterday N. Ca received its first wetting rains since early June.  Total acres burned is in the 1.3 million range.  Our local fire, the Delta seemed contained at 98% until we got some temps in the 90's and wind.  A spot fire quickly ballooned into another 3000 acre char.  Some say the FS firefighters had not gotten enough overtime for the year and let it go to fatten their checks.  In any case we are done with the smoke until next summer.  Economic losses from the lack of tourism have been substantial and widely spread.  Several local festivals were canceled, hotels were empty, the local ski park was hoping to go year round with mountain bike trails but nobody wanted to ride in the smoke.  Despite having a small city of firefighters spring up for a few weeks and pump some money into the local economies - it won't make up for the summer that was smoked out.  I talked to several foresters who are working in the burn and they have said that because the Carr fire was early in the year, the bugs got into the trees and there is already substantial degradation to the wood.  With winter coming on they say they will be lucky to recover half the volume and it will take about 5 years to reforest the burned area.  Much of what burned on the National forest had poor access so little to nothing will be recovered.  Right now chippers are lining I5 as hazard trees are removed and utilities restored.  7 miles of a major interstate power line burned and all the hazard trees must be cleared before they can reinstall it.  Green log prices are down - if you can get someone to buy it and log it as the burned wood from private land starts to flood in.

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