Paradise California / Camp FIre

[candoarms]

Hello Friends,

I just returned from a 7-week work assignment at the Paradise California Camp Fire. I am wondering if anyone from this group was there so that we can compare notes.

Our Base Camp was located at a golf course, at 3100 Skyway, or about halfway between Chico and Paradise. We lived out of semi-trailers that were converted to sleeper bunks, with 42 men to a trailer.

Meals were served at a camp kitchen constructed of tents. There were portable shower facilities and rows upon rows of porta-johns.

I'd like to discuss the fire and the aftermath with anyone who might be interested.

Joel

 

[FireFighterZero]

Hey! Good to read you again.

 

[Rustykfd]

Sounds like the standard California/CalFire fire camp setup.

 

[MasterBlaster]

It kinda looks like my berthing on Enterprise! This was the top bunk in a 3 bunk system. Good 'ole curtains!

 

[FireFighterZero]

Rehab work Joel?

 

[candoarms]

Yes. A call went out for certified arborists to help with the Camp Fire aftermath. The entire project was headed up by PG&E. Our work was dedicated to restoring the power lines and securing a right of way for the electrical utilities. Needless to say, it's a mess out there.

Joel

 

[cory]

I'd like to discuss the fire and the aftermath with anyone who might be interested.

 

[candoarms]

Cory,

I had a great opportunity to visit with and learn from a great group of arborists while serving on the Camp Fire project. For many of the arborists there, this was their 4th or 5th fire project. Others, like myself, were serving for the first time.

Each evening, during mealtime, a group of arborists would get together and casually report on the days events and activities. Discussions would take place regarding the work that was taking place.

As I learned from the seasoned arborists on this fire, the Paradise Camp Fire was NOT a forest fire. It was primarily a ground fire. The yards surrounding the homes had no grass. Yards consisted of forest litter, or duff, consisting of pine needles and leaves, often over a foot thick. Those homes that survived the fire generally had large open yards, few trees, and green grass that they kept mowed.

Estimates suggest that it will cost the homeowners 40,000 dollars to clean up their home sites. Their insurance will not pay the cost of cleanup. This cost will be subtracted from the payout amount.

PG&E has gone tits up. I believe they've already filed for bankruptcy projection under Chapter 11. It was for this reason that we were all sent home. There is no money to pay for any further work.

Joel

 

[flushcut]

Wow!


Good on you for helping. I can't imagine how pissed people must be.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Fricking amazing.

 

[cory]

Crazy.

 

[candoarms]

A few observations from my time in Paradise, California assisting with fire disaster relief.

1. Very few people had lawns. The landscape surrounding the homes consisted of trees and forest duff......or a layer of fallen needles and leaves. Most homes had no grass at all.

2. The homes that survived the fire generally had lawns that were maintained and kept clean and mowed.

3. The City of Paradise was far too heavily populated with trees. I saw ten trees where there should have been but two.

4. Area residents were begging to have trees marked for removal. I found this to be the strangest request. Apparently it is nearly impossible to get permission to remove a tree from a person's personal property. Endless laws, regulations and other red tape prevent the removal of any healthy trees.

5. Very few lawnmowers were seen in the burned out areas.

6. Utilization of the harvested wood is prohibited by law. No lumber can be used to rebuild a home unless it has passed through a certification process. All lumber must be inspected and stamped prior to being used for home building. This prevents a homeowner from using the timber harvested from his own property.

7. The harvested timber from the Paradise area was generally very large.in size, making it difficult to handle with skid steers. For this reason most of the trees were cut into smaller pieces making it worthless as marketable lumber.

8. The fire that raged through Paradise was not a forest fire. It was primarily a ground fire. Many of the trees would likely have survived, had it not been from the excessive heat and extended burn time of the surrounding homes that had also burned. The exposure to the high heat and burn time of the homes caused many trees to die that otherwise may have survived a ground fire.

9. The Paradise fire could not have come at a worse time. The trees were in the process of going dormant for the winter season, as well as suffering from a severe and extended drought. This caused many trees to burn out completely, including the root balls. Fires burned underground, completely burning out the roots of many trees. This underground heat affected root systems of nearby trees, causing additional mortality. .

10. Those trees that appeared to possibly survive the fire quickly took a turn for the worse. Within two weeks of the fire, trees that appeared to be healthy and green, suddenly began turning brown. Without green needles or leaves, trees are not able to survive such an event.

Feel free to ask questions or submit your own comments.

Joel

 

[FireFighterZero]

I had noticed from pictures that there was virtually no defensible space to be seen.


The whole town was a "loser".


Crazy that you were there for so long. That had to wear on you.

 

[candoarms]

Two sides of the same coin.

Here we have a beautiful city park, where the tree population was kept in check. The lawn is kept clean, mowed, and maintained. No fire damage to report. None.

Next door, a home that has no yard, no mowing equipment, no rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, nothing........completely gone.

Joel

 

[SeanKroll]

Good to read you.




Almost all lumber will need to be 'graded' for quality to be used in building homes. I've cleared once and they've brought in a wood-mizer, and hired a certified grader. A part of the process, here. CA might not allow it.

 

[MasterBlaster]

My lawn would be concrete and my roof aluminum or copper.

 

[FireFighterZero]

Buildings, landscaping and people are the new western fuel model.

 

[cory]

4,9, and 10 are a bummer. 4 should be correctable based on learning from experience, one would hope.

6, re using the lumber, I mean that sounds bad but is that actually a normal, wide spread law/rule, ya know regarding materials and practices living up to codes/building inspections?

 

[candoarms]

Cory,

You might not be old enough to remember this, but back when I was a little kid, a 2x4 was actually 2 inches by 4 inches in size. As trees became more difficult to harvest and politics made it harder to obtain, the mills began making the lumber smaller. This reduced size was approved by the building engineers, so long as it had no defects. This is where the lumber graders came in.

I don't see any reason why this lumber couldn't be used to build a home, so long as it is cut oversized. Make it a full 2 x 4 inches, or a full 2 x 6 inches again. Obvious defects would be easy enough to spot.

Joel

This might be of some help.

https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/misc/miscpub_6409.pdf

Joel

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Couple of guys that once worked for me that I trained went up. Few guys I know from up here. Of course, with so many local resources chasing money, my phone has been busy.

 

[flushcut]

Sad!

The problems out lined sound very similar to a gated community we take care of. There are laws governing what trees can be removed, crowded over grown properties, no lawns, lots of leaf litter and tree debris. Oh ya if a fire ever got hold in there it would be a total loss.

 

[candoarms]

Flushcut,

I hear ya, loud and clear.

One poor fella came riding up to me on his ATV as I was out inspecting tree work that had taken place along a power line. He pointed to a large black oak that was leaning heavily over the access road. He asked me to mark that tree for removal. I attempted to explain to him that my job on this project is to oversee the Right Of Way (ROW) for PG&E's utility crews, and that any tree located outside of the R.O.W. would be left to a different crew.

Well, he wouldn't stop begging. He explained how that tree had been responsible for taking the air conditioner off of the top of his camper, and that he's attempted to have the tree removed for over three years, without success. He just wanted me to mark it for removal.

I kindly explained to him that any tree that did not fall within 16 feet of either side of a power pole was off limits to me. Trees that exist outside of that measurement will not be addressed by our crews. We were given a very specific set of orders and instructions to follow. Not knowing the laws, regulations, by-laws, ordinances, or other red tape involved, I was not able to provide him with any advice.

What a joke. I know what I would have done.....but this is California.

Joel

 

[Underwor]

Joel, I am going to have my urban forestry management students read this thread. It will give them some idea of what is involved in urban forest management. Way different from timber resource management in many ways.

 

[candoarms]

Mr. Underwood,

There are additional stories to share with your students.

While on patrols, I was stopped by the former Fire Chief of Paradise. He asked if we were certified arborists. My partner and I explained that we were both certified arborists who were called in to help with the project.

He went on, saying, "I'm not going to ask for your names. I won't hold you personally responsible for anything you say, but I want you folks to give me your honest opinion." He explained, "I am trying to gather as much information as possible, so look into my town. Look over here and tell me......if this was your town, what would you recommend?"

I said to him, "Sir, I see way too many trees. I see 10 trees where there should be but maybe two.....with maybe a couple of younger trees scattered about to replace them someday." My partner then explained (Ryan), "It's one thing to visit the forest, but it's an entirely different situation when you decide to live there. You need to take steps to manage the risk to both life and property."

The former fire chief thanked us and then said, "OK....I'm getting similar feedback from all of you folks. I'm applying for a 100 million dollar grant, to begin with, to help remedy this situation."

Joel

 

[Mick!]

Joel, it’s not something I know a lot about, but I suspect like many I’m reading and absorbing it.

Very interesting stuff.