Want Change Re: Area Fires?

From Dale Knutsen, which so eloquently explains what we can do as a community, to push for change around the fire situation. Contacts and a letter included below. Find below, our elected representatives at the national and state level, asking for their help in forcing the Forest Service to do the right thing and promptly undertake salvage logging and replanting of the severely burned portions of the Chips Fire. Accompanying those letters sent...is a CD-ROM containing a PowerPoint presentation that is basically a photographic history of two adjacent parcels on the old Storrie Fire burn. One parcel is private timberland that was salvage logged and replanted, and the other is National Forest that was largely left untouched. In the 12 years since the Storrie Fire, the comparison between the two parcels has become a compelling argument in favor of salvage and replanting. A sample of some of the photos used in the PowerPoint presentation may be found by clicking on the Picasa Web album link below.

https://picasaweb.google.com/dknut361/StorrieFireAftermath?authkey=Gv1sRgCNax0oP6oOn8XQ

I believe that the only way that we, the public, are going to exert any real leverage on the post-fire process is to flood our elected officials with letters asking for their support. The more letters, the better. The roadblocks to getting the needed action done in the forest are rules and procedures that have been adopted over time ... things that are self-imposed and that can be un-imposed if Congress so directs.

When writing to an elected official, I would recommend limiting your input to one or at most two topics in any given letter. Brevity and candor are appreciated, but it is always best to be respectful in your writings (irritating or insulting the official is not a good way to convince them of the validity of your viewpoint!). Avoid hearsay or rumors, stick to what you know to be factual, and express your opinions in a positive fashion.

Here are the mailing addresses of the recipients of my letter and enclosure:

Senator Diane Feinstein, 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
Senator Barbara Boxer, 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
Representative Tom McClintock, 508 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515
State Senator Tom Gaines, Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249
State Assemblyman Dan Logue, State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814
(Courtesy copy to: Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell, USDA Forest Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-0003)

No, I'm not sending the material to Lassen National Forest, Plumas National Forest or Region 5 of the Forest Service. I believe that policy redirection will only occur if pressure comes from higher up. I'd appreciate it if you would add your voice to this important issue, so please write your elected representatives, and do it soon before the subject becomes old news.

- Dale

- - - - - - - - - - -

Greetings:

I am writing as one of your constituents in northeastern California, living very near the recent 75,000 acre Chips Fire. As you may be aware, the Chips Fire encompassed much of the area that burned earlier during the August-September 2000 Storrie Fire. Those of us living in the region were very disappointed that so little forest restoration effort was accomplished on public lands after that blaze. But we did observe reforestation activity on some of the private timberland that had burned. The work was not without controversy, with dire predictions of environmental damage due to the salvage logging and replanting activity. That controversy led the undersigned to begin observing and recording the differences between the untouched National Forest land and adjacent replanted private land over what is now a twelve year period.

Rather than describe those differences I would ask that you look at the photographic history depicted in the PowerPoint file found on the enclosed CD-ROM. The photographs are simply recurring views of the same comparison area over time, illustrating what has happened to the private timberland and to the National Forest area parcels that sit side-by-side. What you will find is that the brief ugliness of the salvage logged private area has emerged as a healthy young stand of conifers, whereas the untouched National Forest area is not much more than a jumbled mess of down logs covered in thick brush.

The lesson to be drawn from this real-life comparison is that, rhetoric and theory aside, we must take positive action if we wish to once again have conifers in our forests after a severe burn. The notion that simply walking away and letting nature take its course will somehow bring back the conifers has been proven to be false in this particular climate and setting. When a fire is sufficiently intense to kill the majority of the trees, rehabilitation action is essential.

This comparison has also made it clear that the short term impacts of salvage logging and replanting operations are quickly erased as the seedlings turn to young trees. The replanted area emerged as a healthy, viable part of the landscape. While not photographically documented, I can also vouch for the fact that wildlife such as deer are indeed found in that area.

The results of this twelve year, impromptu field experiment have convinced me that we must not allow forest inaction to continue as we now look at the aftermath of the Chips Fire or other similar fires. It is imperative that those forested areas that have been severely burned be promptly salvage logged and replanted. By removing the dead trees promptly, we have the opportunity to help offset costs through timber sales. Even the very small trees can be chipped and used as fuel in cogeneration power plants, thereby making constructive use of a renewable energy resource.

If we delay the removal of dead trees their timber value declines fairly rapidly. As a taxpayer, I feel strongly that we should try to obtain the maximum value from dead trees on public lands. It would be fiscally irresponsible to allow the timber value to decline to the point that the removal action is a pure cost to the taxpayers.

Given the recent history of US Forest Service forest restoration efforts in this region, I have little confidence that prompt or widespread action will occur without Congressional pressure. I therefore urge you to initiate appropriate action or legislation that would accomplish the following:
(a) Require the U.S. Forest Service to actually begin salvage logging operations on severely burned areas within one year of the date of containment of a fire;
(b) Require the U.S. Forest Service to implement tree replanting operations in salvage logged areas within one year of the date of completion of salvage logging;
(c) Streamline the associated planning, permit, review, hearing and appeal procedures to eliminate the current gridlock that seems to prevent prompt action.
Other lessons were also learned from the Chips Fire, dealing with such matters as the need for strategic fuel breaks in forests and fire behavior in previously burned areas. Those are topics for another time. The current priority is on ensuring that prompt action will be taken to restore conifers to the badly burned areas. Without that action there won’t be a National Forest setting in those locations, only brush fields.

Sincerely,

__________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Almanor Basin Residents,

The current cost of the Chips Fire is $ 54,176,161.00; however, the cost will continue to escalate because while the fire is 100 % contained, the fire is not controlled and there is no
estimate of a control date. After the control date, there will be restoration costs which may
add several millions of dollars to the total cost of the Chips fire.

The Forest Service web site: www.inciweb.org shows the fire "active" at 75,431 acres. However, the precise numbers are "low damage", 49,320 acres; "medium damage", 9,424 acres; and "high damage", 18,152 acres; for a total of 76,896 acres of damaged forest. High damage means more than 75 % completely torched.

Yesterday, I had a 3-hour private meeting in Quincy, CA., with a team from the National Incident Management Organization (NIMO), who is conducting a review of the Chips Fire.
Elements of the review will include compliance with Federal Wildland Management Policy
of January 2012 which addresses Fire Suppression and Cost Effective Fire Operations.

Fire Suppression is the following:

"The purpose of fire suppression is to put the fire out in a safe, effective and efficient manner.
Fires are easier and less expensive to suppress when they are small. When the management
goal is full suppression, aggressive initial attack is the single most important method to ensure the safety of firefighters and the public and to limit suppression operations. Successful initial
attack relies on speed and appropriate force. All aspects of fire suppression benefit from
this philosophy. Planning, organizing and implementing fire suppression operations should
always meet the objective of directly, quickly and economically contributing to the suppression
effort. Every firefighter, whether in a management, command, support, or direct suppressions role, should be committed to maximizing the speed and efficiency with which the most capable firefighters can engage in suppression action. When the management goal is other than full suppression, or when conditions dictate a limited suppression response, decisiveness is still essential and an aggressive approach toward acomplishment of objectives is stil critical."

Cost Effective Fire Operations is the following:

"Maximizing the cost effectiveness of any fire operation is the responsibility of all involved,
including those who authorize, direct, or implement those operations. Cost effectiveness is
the most economical use of the suppression resources necessary to accomplish mission
objectives. Accomplishing fire operations objectives safely and efficiently will not be sacrificed for the sole purpose of "cost savings". Care will be taken to ensure that suppression expenditures are commensurate with values to be protected, while understanding that other factors may influence spending decisions, including the social, ploitical, economic, and biophysical environments."

The Chief of the U.S. Forest Service is Tom Tidwell. He states that the Forest Service purpose is twofold: (1) to make sure that America's forest and grasslands are in the healthiest condition they can be; and (2) to see to it that you have lots of opportunites to use, enjoy, and care for the lands and waters that sustain us all. His statement continues with, "We owe it to ourselves and to future generations to protect our communities, properties, and wildland resources from catastrophic fire and other threats." He concludes with, "You own your national forest and grasslands, and we are here to serve you. As you browse our website, please think of ways we can better serve you and let us know."

This is an invitation to voice our concerns. The smoke has cleared but the disaster is NOT over. Do NOT be complacent. Make your voice be heard. A short email directed to
"Key Officicals" is needed or we will be "old" news and forgotten. We must let them know
that a small, controllable fire was allowed to burn and became uncontrollable and will have lasting, long-term effects on our already delicate economy. The fire did not just hurt the trees, habitat, and the ecology of the Almanor Basin, but it has hurt the health of local businesses and the physical health of the people who have had to withstand weeks of harmful smoke and ash. This disaster could have been prevented if appropriate air power (which was under contract to the U.S. Forest Service, on standby, and available) had been used EARLY ON. Do not be deceived by consoling rhetoric used by fire officials. More DC-10 airpower WAS available and approved by superiors. THEY CHOSE TO WAIT.

"WHY??" is a question that needs to be answered. Must we wait for another fire to see if they
have learned from this mistake? Government needs to know how we feel and that we count.
How angry are you as a citizen taxpayer that 55 million dollars has gone up in smoke when local schools, hospitals, and many services and agencies are underfunded? These are our tax dollars and key officials need to know how this affects you. Voice your concerns and tell your story. We need to be heard by the right people and below are strategic places to send
e-mails.

Tom Tidwell, Chief, U.S. Forest Service, Washington, D.C.
ttidwell@fs.fed.us

Tom Harbour, Director, Fire and Aviation Management, Washington, D.C.
tharbour@fs.fed.us

Randy Moore, Region 5 Forester, Vallejo, CA
rmoore@fs.fed.us

Steve Gage, Incident Commander, National Incident Management Organization, Boise, ID
sgage@fs.fed.us

I believe it is imperative to express our concerns ASAP while the NIMO team is conducting the Chips Fire Review. I think it is extremely important that Mr. Tidwell and Mr. Harbour receive a "c.c.", otherwise, the report may not be shared outside of Region Five.

There is a possibility that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) may investigate the
Chips fire because of the high cost factor; so it may also be prudent to send a copy of
your e- mail to your representatives in the Senate and House via U.S. Mail or e-mail. E-mails to Congress must be sent through the individual websites.

Please be proactive to protect our property, our health, and our local economy by working together. Also, I personally support an expanded use of air tankers, like the DC 10's, which have the best effect on immediate fire supression.

Please share this email with your friends and neighbors and let's make ourselves heard.

Sincerely,

Bill Klett
Lake Almanor resident


Want Change Re: Area Fires? From Dale Knutsen, which so eloquently explains what we can do as a community, to push for change around the fire situation. Contacts and a letter included below. Find below, our elected representatives at the national and state level, asking for their help in forcing the Forest Service to do the right thing and promptly undertake salvage logging and replanting of the severely burned portions of the Chips Fire. Accompanying those letters sent...is a CD-ROM containing a PowerPoint presentation that is basically a photographic history of two adjacent parcels on the old Storrie Fire burn. One parcel is private timberland that was salvage logged and replanted, and the other is National Forest that was largely left untouched. In the 12 years since the Storrie Fire, the comparison between the two parcels has become a compelling argument in favor of salvage and replanting. A sample of some of the photos used in the PowerPoint presentation may be found by clicking on the Picasa Web album link below. https://picasaweb.google.com/dknut361/StorrieFireAftermath?authkey=Gv1sRgCNax0oP6oOn8XQ I believe that the only way that we, the public, are going to exert any real leverage on the post-fire process is to flood our elected officials with letters asking for their support. The more letters, the better. The roadblocks to getting the needed action done in the forest are rules and procedures that have been adopted over time ... things that are self-imposed and that can be un-imposed if Congress so directs. When writing to an elected official, I would recommend limiting your input to one or at most two topics in any given letter. Brevity and candor are appreciated, but it is always best to be respectful in your writings (irritating or insulting the official is not a good way to convince them of the validity of your viewpoint!). Avoid hearsay or rumors, stick to what you know to be factual, and express your opinions in a positive fashion. Here are the mailing addresses of the recipients of my letter and enclosure: Senator Diane Feinstein, 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 Senator Barbara Boxer, 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 Representative Tom McClintock, 508 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515 State Senator Tom Gaines, Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249 State Assemblyman Dan Logue, State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814 (Courtesy copy to: Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell, USDA Forest Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-0003) No, I'm not sending the material to Lassen National Forest, Plumas National Forest or Region 5 of the Forest Service. I believe that policy redirection will only occur if pressure comes from higher up. I'd appreciate it if you would add your voice to this important issue, so please write your elected representatives, and do it soon before the subject becomes old news. - Dale - - - - - - - - - - - Greetings: I am writing as one of your constituents in northeastern California, living very near the recent 75,000 acre Chips Fire. As you may be aware, the Chips Fire encompassed much of the area that burned earlier during the August-September 2000 Storrie Fire. Those of us living in the region were very disappointed that so little forest restoration effort was accomplished on public lands after that blaze. But we did observe reforestation activity on some of the private timberland that had burned. The work was not without controversy, with dire predictions of environmental damage due to the salvage logging and replanting activity. That controversy led the undersigned to begin observing and recording the differences between the untouched National Forest land and adjacent replanted private land over what is now a twelve year period. Rather than describe those differences I would ask that you look at the photographic history depicted in the PowerPoint file found on the enclosed CD-ROM. The photographs are simply recurring views of the same comparison area over time, illustrating what has happened to the private timberland and to the National Forest area parcels that sit side-by-side. What you will find is that the brief ugliness of the salvage logged private area has emerged as a healthy young stand of conifers, whereas the untouched National Forest area is not much more than a jumbled mess of down logs covered in thick brush. The lesson to be drawn from this real-life comparison is that, rhetoric and theory aside, we must take positive action if we wish to once again have conifers in our forests after a severe burn. The notion that simply walking away and letting nature take its course will somehow bring back the conifers has been proven to be false in this particular climate and setting. When a fire is sufficiently intense to kill the majority of the trees, rehabilitation action is essential. This comparison has also made it clear that the short term impacts of salvage logging and replanting operations are quickly erased as the seedlings turn to young trees. The replanted area emerged as a healthy, viable part of the landscape. While not photographically documented, I can also vouch for the fact that wildlife such as deer are indeed found in that area. The results of this twelve year, impromptu field experiment have convinced me that we must not allow forest inaction to continue as we now look at the aftermath of the Chips Fire or other similar fires. It is imperative that those forested areas that have been severely burned be promptly salvage logged and replanted. By removing the dead trees promptly, we have the opportunity to help offset costs through timber sales. Even the very small trees can be chipped and used as fuel in cogeneration power plants, thereby making constructive use of a renewable energy resource. If we delay the removal of dead trees their timber value declines fairly rapidly. As a taxpayer, I feel strongly that we should try to obtain the maximum value from dead trees on public lands. It would be fiscally irresponsible to allow the timber value to decline to the point that the removal action is a pure cost to the taxpayers. Given the recent history of US Forest Service forest restoration efforts in this region, I have little confidence that prompt or widespread action will occur without Congressional pressure. I therefore urge you to initiate appropriate action or legislation that would accomplish the following: (a) Require the U.S. Forest Service to actually begin salvage logging operations on severely burned areas within one year of the date of containment of a fire; (b) Require the U.S. Forest Service to implement tree replanting operations in salvage logged areas within one year of the date of completion of salvage logging; (c) Streamline the associated planning, permit, review, hearing and appeal procedures to eliminate the current gridlock that seems to prevent prompt action. Other lessons were also learned from the Chips Fire, dealing with such matters as the need for strategic fuel breaks in forests and fire behavior in previously burned areas. Those are topics for another time. The current priority is on ensuring that prompt action will be taken to restore conifers to the badly burned areas. Without that action there won’t be a National Forest setting in those locations, only brush fields. Sincerely, __________________________________________________________________________________ Dear Almanor Basin Residents, The current cost of the Chips Fire is $ 54,176,161.00; however, the cost will continue to escalate because while the fire is 100 % contained, the fire is not controlled and there is no estimate of a control date. After the control date, there will be restoration costs which may add several millions of dollars to the total cost of the Chips fire. The Forest Service web site: www.inciweb.org shows the fire "active" at 75,431 acres. However, the precise numbers are "low damage", 49,320 acres; "medium damage", 9,424 acres; and "high damage", 18,152 acres; for a total of 76,896 acres of damaged forest. High damage means more than 75 % completely torched. Yesterday, I had a 3-hour private meeting in Quincy, CA., with a team from the National Incident Management Organization (NIMO), who is conducting a review of the Chips Fire. Elements of the review will include compliance with Federal Wildland Management Policy of January 2012 which addresses Fire Suppression and Cost Effective Fire Operations. Fire Suppression is the following: "The purpose of fire suppression is to put the fire out in a safe, effective and efficient manner. Fires are easier and less expensive to suppress when they are small. When the management goal is full suppression, aggressive initial attack is the single most important method to ensure the safety of firefighters and the public and to limit suppression operations. Successful initial attack relies on speed and appropriate force. All aspects of fire suppression benefit from this philosophy. Planning, organizing and implementing fire suppression operations should always meet the objective of directly, quickly and economically contributing to the suppression effort. Every firefighter, whether in a management, command, support, or direct suppressions role, should be committed to maximizing the speed and efficiency with which the most capable firefighters can engage in suppression action. When the management goal is other than full suppression, or when conditions dictate a limited suppression response, decisiveness is still essential and an aggressive approach toward acomplishment of objectives is stil critical." Cost Effective Fire Operations is the following: "Maximizing the cost effectiveness of any fire operation is the responsibility of all involved, including those who authorize, direct, or implement those operations. Cost effectiveness is the most economical use of the suppression resources necessary to accomplish mission objectives. Accomplishing fire operations objectives safely and efficiently will not be sacrificed for the sole purpose of "cost savings". Care will be taken to ensure that suppression expenditures are commensurate with values to be protected, while understanding that other factors may influence spending decisions, including the social, ploitical, economic, and biophysical environments." The Chief of the U.S. Forest Service is Tom Tidwell. He states that the Forest Service purpose is twofold: (1) to make sure that America's forest and grasslands are in the healthiest condition they can be; and (2) to see to it that you have lots of opportunites to use, enjoy, and care for the lands and waters that sustain us all. His statement continues with, "We owe it to ourselves and to future generations to protect our communities, properties, and wildland resources from catastrophic fire and other threats." He concludes with, "You own your national forest and grasslands, and we are here to serve you. As you browse our website, please think of ways we can better serve you and let us know." This is an invitation to voice our concerns. The smoke has cleared but the disaster is NOT over. Do NOT be complacent. Make your voice be heard. A short email directed to "Key Officicals" is needed or we will be "old" news and forgotten. We must let them know that a small, controllable fire was allowed to burn and became uncontrollable and will have lasting, long-term effects on our already delicate economy. The fire did not just hurt the trees, habitat, and the ecology of the Almanor Basin, but it has hurt the health of local businesses and the physical health of the people who have had to withstand weeks of harmful smoke and ash. This disaster could have been prevented if appropriate air power (which was under contract to the U.S. Forest Service, on standby, and available) had been used EARLY ON. Do not be deceived by consoling rhetoric used by fire officials. More DC-10 airpower WAS available and approved by superiors. THEY CHOSE TO WAIT. "WHY??" is a question that needs to be answered. Must we wait for another fire to see if they have learned from this mistake? Government needs to know how we feel and that we count. How angry are you as a citizen taxpayer that 55 million dollars has gone up in smoke when local schools, hospitals, and many services and agencies are underfunded? These are our tax dollars and key officials need to know how this affects you. Voice your concerns and tell your story. We need to be heard by the right people and below are strategic places to send e-mails. Tom Tidwell, Chief, U.S. Forest Service, Washington, D.C. ttidwell@fs.fed.us Tom Harbour, Director, Fire and Aviation Management, Washington, D.C. tharbour@fs.fed.us Randy Moore, Region 5 Forester, Vallejo, CA rmoore@fs.fed.us Steve Gage, Incident Commander, National Incident Management Organization, Boise, ID sgage@fs.fed.us I believe it is imperative to express our concerns ASAP while the NIMO team is conducting the Chips Fire Review. I think it is extremely important that Mr. Tidwell and Mr. Harbour receive a "c.c.", otherwise, the report may not be shared outside of Region Five. There is a possibility that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) may investigate the Chips fire because of the high cost factor; so it may also be prudent to send a copy of your e- mail to your representatives in the Senate and House via U.S. Mail or e-mail. E-mails to Congress must be sent through the individual websites. Please be proactive to protect our property, our health, and our local economy by working together. Also, I personally support an expanded use of air tankers, like the DC 10's, which have the best effect on immediate fire supression. Please share this email with your friends and neighbors and let's make ourselves heard. Sincerely, Bill Klett Lake Almanor resident
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