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Showing posts with label Sequoia National Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sequoia National Park. Show all posts
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. October 7, 2016 – Following a conditions assessment by park fire ecologists and firefighters, dates have been confirmed for the Dorst Prescribed Burn in Sequoia National Park. Ignitions on the prescribed burn will begin on Monday, October 10, and continue for 2 to 3 days. Weather forecasts and recent fuel moisture samples show that this timetable will provide the best opportunity for a successful burn with minimized smoke impacts.
This 187-acre prescribed burn will reintroduce fire into an area where it was unnaturally excluded for decades, restoring the area to a more natural density of fuels and vegetation. Robert Sanders, Fire Management Officer for Sequoia National Park, says, “The Dorst Prescribed Burn will create a healthier watershed and forest by removing a lot of the ground fuels that have built up over the years. History has shown that by including prescribed fire in our land management, we are working with nature instead of against it.”
The burn unit is located adjacent to Dorst Campground, which is currently closed for the remainder of the year, and south and west of the Generals Highway. Smoke is likely to be present on the Generals Highway, and may cause delays or short-term closures if visibility becomes impaired. Visitors should expect to see firefighters, smoke, and fire activity in this area and are asked to drive carefully. Depending on dispersion, the town of Three Rivers may experience smoke impacts at night during ignitions.
The trail between Lost Grove and Dorst Campground and the Muir Grove Trail will be closed during ignitions and the burn-down period afterwards. The reopening of these trails will be contingent on evaluation by fire management personnel and will be announced in subsequent news releases. Basic Information Current as of 10/9/2016, 1:26:39 PM Incident Type Prescribed Fire Date of Origin Monday October 10th, 2016 approx. 11:00 AM Location Sequoia National Park - North and west of the Dorst Creek Campground Incident Commander Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Current Situation Size 187 Acres
Outlook/Planned Actions This prescribed burn is scheduled to start on Monday, October 10, 2016
Remarks Trail closures will be in effect during the prescribed burn. Please see the Trail Closure Map under Maps. Fire Information Office Email: seki_fire_info@nps.gov Phone: 559-565-3703 Hours: 0900 - 1600Tweet
Interested in becoming a Fire Lookout? It’s probably easier that you realize to become an active Fire Lookout with the ANFFLA. It just takes a few classes training (which are quite fun!) and the desire to spend some time in the Angeles National Forest. For more information about becoming a fire lookout, please see our Training page. Donations Don’t have time to volunteer but still want to help? The ANFFLA needs your assistance. We work diligently to preserve and protect historical jewels atop the forest crown. http://www.anffla.org/donations/
Australia is burning. Extreme heat and drought during the country's summer wildfire season have helped fierce winds spark about 100 bushfires across southeastern Australia.
Sound familiar?
2012 was America's hottest year on record. Those soaring temperatures (along with persistent drought) pushed more than 9.2 million acres to burn in the West. The damages will top $1 billion dollars, and fires consumed more than 2,100 homes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Parts of both the United States and Australia share a combustible mix of fire hazards, such as an ecology adapted to fire-prone conditions and a climate conducive to wildfires. And every year, more people choose to live in some of the most beautiful and hazardous country around — the wildland's edge.
The destruction will only escalate, scientists predict, until we stop fighting fires in the forests and brush. Instead, the focus should shift to securing homes and structures, as well as applying new research that overturns long-standing conventional wisdom about fire defense, experts say.
"We're losing homes in fires because homes are being put into hazardous conditions," said Jon Keeley, a fire ecologist with the U.S Geological Survey (USGS). "The important thing is not to blame it on the fire event, but instead to think about planning and reduce putting people at risk."
Thanks to work by Keeley and his colleagues, researchers now know techniques that work for firefighters in the Colorado mountains won't help Californians battling wind-driven wildfires in the chaparral. [Images: Southwestern Wildfires Seen from Space]
Don't burn chaparral
In California, as the population sprawls, the fires grow. The loss of lives and property increased every decade in the past century, according to a 2001 study in the journal Conservation Biology by Keeley and USGS ecologist C.J. Fotheringham.
One hundred years of fire suppression is partly to blame. To protect homes, local fire managers frequently set California's chaparral-covered hills ablaze. But the decades spent earnestly "masticating" (mechanically removing potential fire fuel) devil-red manzanitas with trunks as thick as thighs, and the repeated prescribed burns, replaced native chaparral with incendiary invasive species like cheatgrass, according to the USGS.
The decades of effort were for naught, finds a series of recent studies from the USGS and colleagues at the Conservation Biology Institute and several research universities.
Prescribed burning, intended to remove dead wood and fuel before fire season, does help control fires in Western conifer forests, like the tall giants of Sequoia National Park in Northern California. But chaparral isn't forest. It's a dense carpet of woody shrubs: chamise, ceonothus and other plants that cling to steep canyons and ridges.
"I work in Sequoia National Park, and we've had a prescription burning program for the last 40 years, and it's extremely necessary," Keeley told OurAmazingPlanet. "In most of Southern California, it is completely irrelevant. There is overwhelming evidence we've never come anywhere close to excluding fire on this landscape," through prescribed burns, he said.
In Southern California, 29 years of prescribed burns had no effect on reducing the area burned by future fires, a 2012 study Keeley co-authored found. The study was published in the Journal of Environmental Management.
"It's wrongheaded to think there's just one fire story out there," Keeley said. "There's lots of fire stories. There's what's going on in forests, and what's going on in chaparral landscapes, and they're very different in terms of how to solve them."
And when scientists dug up carbon from past wildfires — those that took place before Europeans arrived — they made a startling discovery. Unlike Western forests, coastal chaparral and sage scrub may burn only once every 100 years, and the inland ridges every 30 years. Further tests revealed the shrubs are slow to regrow, taking five, 10 or even 20 years to flower and set new seed. Frequent prescribed burns, combined with the rising numbers of human-sparked conflagrations, weakens the ecosystem. When chaparral erupts in flames every few years, native species burn through their energy stores and seed stock trying to recover, said Rick Halsey, director of the nonprofit California Chaparral Institute, which advocates for preserving chaparral. As a result of the burns, non-natives take over.
"We're accelerating the environmental destruction of California's most characteristic ecosystem," Halsey told OurAmazingPlanet.
Changing minds
But changing decades of calcified wisdom will be difficult. "There was this mindset that this beautiful ecosystem is unnatural and we need to burn it up because it doesn't belong," Halsey said. "Finally the science got up to speed and said the natural fire regime in chaparral is anywhere from 50 to 150 years, not 10 to 15 years."
The USGS has had success with the National Park Service, which was forced to rethink their approach to fire management in 2001, after losing control of a prescribed burn and nearly torching Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the nation's nuclear testing labs. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area had their last prescribed burn in 2005, said Marti Witter, a fire ecologist with the park. The park lowers its fire risk by mowing open grassland, and leaves chaparral alone.
"The mindset that's out there is so pervasive, and you come up against it all the time," Witter told OurAmazingPlanet. "Anytime we're in a public meeting, there's always someone who will stand up and say, 'if we just did prescribed burning, that will solve our problem.'"
To help spread news of the findings, the USGS Western Ecological Research Center in Sacramento, Calif., will launch a public outreach program this spring, and has already been meeting with local and state fire managers.
Fighting fires with fuel
Clearing chaparral for firebreaks, a gap meant to slow spreading flames, also does little to help fire fighters battle the chaotic infernos driven by California's Santa Ana winds, Fotheringham told OurAmazingPlanet.
"There's really two types of fires:the ones we plan for, and the ones that do the damage," Fotheringham said.
In the fall, fierce winds called the Santa Anas rush down from the California mountains. The winds can be of tropical storm strength (winds less than 74 mph, or 119 kph) at lower elevations and hurricane-strength (74 mph or greater) above 1,000 feet (305 meters). [Amazing Video: Speed of Wildfire]
It's fire season in the West when the winds blow.
Firebreaks can help fire fighters battle small burns in chaparral. Without fire fighters at the breaks, however, flames skip past the gaps, found a study led by ecologist Alexandra Syphard of the Conservation Biology Institute in the June 2011 issue of the journal Forest Ecology and Management.
The non-native species that eagerly occupy open space on fire breaks and in cleared chaparral act as kindling for flying embers, said Fotheringham. The whirling winds carry embers as far as a mile in front of the actual wildfire.
Defending your space
In California, when houses burn, blown embers are at fault, not trees or chaparral.
"The primary spread of fire where we lose houses under wind-driven conditions is from embers," Fotheringham said.
In October 2007, more than 2,000 homes burned in Southern California during Santa Ana-driven firestorms. None of the homes ignited from direct contact with flames. Instead, embers blown by the wind — up to a mile ahead of the flame front — landed on flammable materials near houses, according to several studies conducted after the fires.
Researchers with the Western Ecological Research Center analyzed homes in the Santa Monica Mountains and part of San Diego County that burned between 2001 and 2010, during several devastating wildfires in the region. The study, which had some surprising findings, was published March 28, 2012, in the journal PLoS One.
"What really threw me off was the trees don't burn," said Fotheringham, who was not involved in the study but analyzed the data for another research project. "With green vegetation, you have to drive off the moisture before it will ignite. I got to looking around my yard, and I saw all the leaves accumulating everywhere. A lot of what we have for urban vegetation is deciduous, so in the fall, the Santa Ana wind-driven fires coincide with leaf drop. It's a perfect storm."
To really save homes, Fotheringham wants Californians to spend their fall weekends cleaning the nooks and crannies around their homes. Find the fire starters, she said: dryer lint, pine needles and leaves hiding in roof shingles, foundation cracks, decorative shrubs and underneath decks. "I get so fanatic that sometimes I go out and Shop-Vac my yard, trying to get the leaves all up," Fotheringham said.
California law requires all homeowners to clear a "defensible" space. The guidelines call for trimming branches, keeping tall plants and shrubs away from buildings, and spacing remaining trees and bushes to prevent fire from spreading. Some residents scrape a moonscape around their homes, removing all plants and clearing the land to the dirt.
But time after time, in infernos created by Santa Ana winds, thousands of homes with defensible barriers burst into flames. In the July 2006 Sawtooth Fire north of Palm Springs, homes with more than 100 feet (30 m) of bare dirt clearance burst into flames. In fact, the burning homes set their own shrubs and trees on fire. [Raging Western Wildfires in Photos]
That's because clearing land encourages the growth of weeds, "flashy fuels" that easily ignite from embers. Instead of aggressive clearing, a green fire barrier of irrigated, wisely chosen shrubs and trees can help absorb heat and deflect embers, Halsey said. For the most up-to-date advice, visit http://firecenter.berkeley.edu/toolkit.
"Bring a little of the natural environment into your yard," recommended Halsey, who trained as a firefighter to better understand the challenges California must overcome to solve its fire mess. "The quick fix has been to pour more money into the fire agencies, instead of doing the difficult thing, which is planning," he said. "We can do more around communities."
Fotheringham agreed. "It's the planning that's a problem."
Final #Fire Update: 6 acres, Forward Spread of the Fire Stopped, and #Wildfire Holding within the retardant Lines : Releasing Air Attack aircraft
CA-KNP- Eshom - Kings Canyon fire perimeter map
Kings Canyon-Sequoia National Park #WildFire Notes: No Retardant to be used within the Park Boundries. AA has Permission to use Retardant to Reinforce the Head of the Fire Only at this time.- per the KNP Supervisor.
New A/G Frequency is 173.675 ATs 22 and 55 are on a Load & Hold at fresno AB til they get Confirmation on whether they can use Retardant or not.
Releasing All Calfire Engines.
Trail Closures: Close Sugar Bowl Trail and Big Springs Trail IA: Reports 2 acs, Mod. ROS, Heavy Fuels No Ground units at scene. Location: East of the Hartland Area near Eshom Campground,1 Mi. Eastside of Redwood Mtn near the Radio Towers, Borderline on the KNP and the SQF, Access off Pierce Valley Rd (Follow the Pink Flagging), Redwood Mtn.
staging: Eshom Campground
Confirmed this is in KNP and Communications: SQF/KNP Command 2 - 164.750 Tone 7 , Tac.4 - 164.1375
Local - 168.775 / 164.750
Tac. 4 - 164.1375
Base Victor - 123.975
Air - 169.150
A/G. - 170.000 / 173.625
A/A - 135.975
#CaFire #Wildfire #CanyonFire CA-SQF-3564 9,820 acres, 75% contained. Current Situation
Total Personnel 1,668
Size 8,560 acres
Percent Contained 70%
Estimated Containment Date Sunday September 19th, 2010 approx. 12:00 AM
Cost: 6.5 million Road closures are still in effect on Old Kern Canyon Road.
Canyon Fire CA-SQF-3564
IA: 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 12, 2010. Location: Lower Kern River Canyon, below, (and west) of Lake Isabella. The fire started near Delonegha on the south side of the Lower Kern River. The fire quickly spread to both sides of the Kern River, jumping over the Old Kern Canyon Road and back across Highway 178, resulting in active fire on both sides of the two roads. Within an hour the fire spread to over 200 acres calling for evacuations of recreational sites along the Lower Kern River, including Remington Hot Springs, Black Gulch, Mill Creek, Hobo, Sandy Flat and Miracle Day Use area. Several outfitter guide (boating) companies camp sites were also evacuated.
Road Closures: Highway 178 is now OPEN -Please observe all speed limits through the burned area off of Hwy 178 due to fire fighters and equipment on the road.
The fire is presently at 8,560 acres. Evacuations: Evacuations have been lifted for Bodfish Canyon Road, Myers Canyon Road, Clear Creek subdivision and Rocky Point in the community of Bodfish. Be advised, the American Red Cross shelter is still operating at the Kern River Valley Senior Center (6405 Lake Isabella Blvd.). The phone number is 661-333-0265. Kern County Human Services staff is onsite working with Red Cross volunteers. A second shelter has been established in Twin Oakes at 661-867-2550. Both shelters are available to help accommodate small and large animals. Road Closure Update: Caliente Bodfish Road is open from Bodfish to Havilah. Travel is restricted to one lane to residence only. Old Kern Canyon Road is closed.
Basic Information Incident Type Wildfire Cause Human -under Investigation Date of Origin Sunday September 12th, 2010 approx. 01:54 PM Location 8 miles west of Lake Isabella Incident Commander David Cooper Fuels Involved Grass, brush and timber. Fire Behavior Interior activity in Div.B from burning operation,some line activity on Division C, otherwise very little activity over rest of fire. Significant Events Crews are making good progress on line completion. Road closures are still in effect on Old Kern Canyon Road. Outlook/Planned Actions Continued air support of line construction; continue line improvement; continue mop-up operations. Growth Potential Medium Terrain Difficulty High Remarks Steep ground and wind are still major concerns. Air resources continue to play a key role. Local power company continues powerline repair. Current Weather
Canyon Fire CA-SQF-3564 9,820 acres, 75% contained. All further updates at:Canyon Fire CA-SQF-3564 9,820 acres, 75% contained. Road closures are still in effect on Old Kern Canyon Road. KCFD fire investigators are requesting public help. At the start of the fire on Sunday there were several parked cars along Hwy 178 taking photographs of the fire. Investigators would like to see those pictures. They can be e-mailed to fireinfo@co.kern.ca.us. Evacuations are in effect for the area of Meyers Canyon, south of Bodfish Canyon Rd at the junction of Rocky Rd. Advisory evacuations are in place for Meyers Canyon north of this area and also the community of Havilah. The evacuation center is at the Kern River Valley Veterans/Senior Center, 6405 Lake Isabella Blvd., Lake Isabella Canyon Fire Stats (9.16.2010 @ 08:00 A.M.)
Incident Name: Canyon Incident Location: 7 miles West of Bodfish Start Date & Report Time: 9/12/2010 @ 2:00 P.M. Fire Information Line: 1-951-225-4510 or 211 Acres: 8,149 Containment: 65% Expected Containment: 9/19/2010 Structures Threatened: 250 Structures Destroyed: 1 Structures Damaged: 0 Cause: Under Investigation If you have any information on the fire please contact 1-877 FIRE-TIP or 1-877-347-3847 Total Personnel: 1565 Injuries: 4 Fire Engines: 15 Helicopters: 10 Fire Crews: 34 Airtankers: 11 Water Tenders: 11 Bulldozers: 4 Summary
The Canyon Fire started September 12, 2010 at approximately 2:00pm in Lake Isabella, Ca. Initial assessment and attack began immediately by Kern County Fire, US Forest Service and BLM. Unified command was established with Kern County Fire, U.S Forrest Service and BLM. Southern Central Sierra Interagency Incident Management Team assumed command of the fire on September 13, 2010 at 6:00P.M. Estimated date of containment is September 19. Update
• Continued air support of line construction and improvement; continue mop-up operations.
• Hand and engine crews are in place for structure protection along with air support.
• Steep ground and active fire are still major concerns. Air resources continue to play a key role in keeping the fire away from high risk areas. Some damage was sustained by the 66 KV power lines; local power company has started repairs. Evacuation
• Area South of Bodfish Canyon road (Myers Canyon) and Rocky point in the community of Bodfish
• In the community of Havila Key Message
Life and safety is priority and evacuations were established. A shelter has been established in Lake Isabella Senior Center. To contact the Lake Isabella shelter, please use 1-661-333-0265. A second shelter center has been established in Twin Oaks at the community church, which is located at 16115 Caliente Creek road. Twin Oaks church is also available for small and large animal sheltering, if you need to contact the shelter please call 1-661-867-2550. Closures
• Bodfish Canyon road and Caliente Bodfish road is closed from Bodfish to Havila
• Old Kern Canyon road Cooperating Agencies: South Central Sierra Incident Management Team, Kern County Fire, U.S. Forest Service, B.L.M., K.C.S.O., C.H.P., Cal Trans.
Kern County Canyon Fire location map
Canyon Fire CA-SQF-3564 - Kern County Wildfire 2010 Wildfires
HOT SPOT and PERIMETER MAP
News and Notes: CA-SQF-3564 8,149 acres, 65% contained. Unified command with Kern Co, BLM, NPS and USFS.
8149 acres, 65% contained
Increased acreage due to burning operations Canyon Fire News and Notes:
250 structures are threatened, 1 structure destroyed.
1,095 personnel assigned now
Road closures are still in effect on Old Kern Canyon Road.
An evacuation center has been established at the Kern River Valley Veteran’s/Senior Center.
Evacuations remain in effect for the area of Meyer’s Canyon south of Bodfish Canyon Rd. at Junction of Rocky Rd. Advisory evacuations are in place from Meyer’s Canyon north in the community of Havala.
Almost 30 people spent the night in the Red Cross Shelter, at the Lake Isabella Senior Center, due to the Canyon Fire in the Bodfish and Havilah area.
SCE is currently working to restore power to the damaged electrical transmission line and the community of Havala.
CIMT 4 has been ordered. An incident complexity analysis has been completed with SQF NF placing a request for a Type 1 IMT to report the Canyon Incident. The request has been placed for SOCAL Team #4 (Opliger) Type 1 Team to transition in @12:00. (Might be on hold) WX: SHOWERS IN THE SIERRA LATE SUNDAY NIGHT IN THE FORECAST. Air Resources: AT's- 05, 74, 75, 76, 78, 20, 22, 27, 43, 45, 55 -
Reload WJF, PTV Scanner Frequencies :
Command - NIFC Com. 4 - 166.6125
Air - 168.6375 / 123.450
A/G - 171.1375
A/A - 122.925 / 122.975
Airbase Victor - 123.975
Flight Following - 168.650
Helos - 126.675 / 127.775 More web information: Kern County Incident page:link Inciweb: Link -http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2124/ wildlandfire.com/hotlist/ Incident Link Tags:Kern County, Sequoia National Park, Sisikyou NF, wildfire
All further updates at:Canyon Fire CA-SQF-3564 9,820 acres, 75% contained. Canyon Fire Stats Acres: 5,100 Containment: 10% Fire moving to East.
UPDATE THIS MORNING
•6135 acres, 20% contained
•1 Structure (Trailer) Loss
•Myers Drainage and Bodfish Canyon Evacuated
•SCE working on damaged powerlines (12 & 60KV Lines)
•62°, RH 29%, winds ENE@2 w/ gusts to 6 Comms: NIFC COMMAND 4 is now command channel
CA-SQF/KRN-Canyon IC - Wildfire Map
Incident Name: Canyon Incident Location: 7 miles West of Bodfish Start Start Date Report Time: 9/12/2010 @ 2:00 P.M. Fire Information Line: 1-951-225-4510 Expected Containment: 9/17/2010 Structures Destroyed: 0 Structures Damaged: 0 Cause: Under Investigation Total Personnel: 1095 Resources: Fire Engines: 15 Helicopters: 10 Fire Crews: 34 Airtankers: 11 Water Tenders: 11 Bulldozers: 4 Current Situation: Due to steep terrain and a mix of strong afternoon winds, the fire grew intensely. Multiple strike teams of engines, dozers and air support responded immediately to protect structures. Air tanker drops will continue as needed. Life and safety is priority and evacuations were established. A shelter center has been established in Twin Oaks at the community church. A second shelter has been established in Lake Isabella Senior Center.
To contact the Lake Isabella center, please use 1-661-333-0265. Evacuations: Havila, Bodfish Canyon Cooperating Agencies: South Central Sierra Incident Management Team, Kern County Fire, U.S. Forest Service, B.L.M., K.C.S.O., C.H.P., Cal Trans. Additional Information: Closures at Caliente Bodfish road, Bodfish Canyon road and Kern Canyon road.
If you have any information on the fire please contact 1-877 FIRE-TIP or 1-877-347-3847.
CanyonFire #Wildfire (Kern County) Canyon Fire has burned 5,100 acres and is 10% contained. 150 residences and 100 outbuildings are threatened.
Fire has reached Black Eagle Peak and is backing down towards town of Bodfish.
The fire is actively burning in brush on the east side of the fire, timber areas are experiencing group torching and crown movement. The fire is wind driven and influenced steep terrain; this has resulted in a high rate of spread and spotting. Evacuations are in effect for the area of Meyers Canyon, south of Bodfish Canyon Rd at the junction of Rocky Rd. Advisory evacuations are in place for Meyers Canyon north of this area and also the community of Havilah. The evacuation center is at the Kern River Valley Veterans/Senior Center, 6405 Lake Isabella Blvd., Lake Isabella. Road Closed: Hard Closure Bodfish Cyn Rd @ Lake Isabella Blvd. Note:“Canyon Fire” community information meeting will take place tomorrow evening, Wednesday, September15, 2010. All residents and/or interested public, in the Kern River Valley and the surrounding communities are encouraged to attend. Location will be the Kern River Valley Veterans/Senior Center, 6405 Lake Isabella Blvd., Lake Isabella, CA at 7:00 PM
Canyon Fire Perimeter location and Hot spot MapGeoMac/MODIS
Incident Name: Canyon Incident Incident Time: 02:00:00 PM Incident Date: 09-12-2010 Incident Location: Lake Isabella Incident Type: Vegetation Fire Number of Personnel: Large orders being placed including Alpha strike teams, Lima ST's
Canyon Fire scanner Updates:
OSCC News and Notes: 1930hrs- Canyon Fire has burned 5,100 acres and is 10% contained. 150 residences and 100 outbuildings are threatened. The fire is actively burning in brush on the east side of the fire, timber areas are experiencing group torching and crown movement. The fire is wind driven and influenced steep terrain; this has resulted in a high rate of spread and spotting. Old Kern Canyon Rd is closed
1630hrs- Large Plume extreme wildfire activity , Heavy resource orders for tomorrow.5100 acres with 150 structures threatened. Webcam: link - http://sierrafire.cr.usgs.gov/camHist/viewer09.pl?camera=breckenridge_3&lastFrame=true about More twitter information: CalFireNews twitter- Hash Tags: #CaFire#Wildfire#CanyonFire More web information: Kern County Incident page:link Inciweb: Link -http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2124/ wildlandfire.com/hotlist/ Incident Link
All further updates at:Canyon Fire CA-SQF-3564 9,820 acres, 75% contained. CA-SQF/KRN-Canyon IC - Wildfire - (Kern County) Latest Intel: Pre-evacuation planning, Wildfire is moving towards Bodfish, Heavy orders for tomorrow.5100 acres with 150 structures threatened.
Canyon Wildfire - Topographical Map of Fire Perimeters, Hot spot locations
ICP located at Tank Park, 5000 Lake Isabella blvd. Lake Isabella, Kern County
Canyon Wildfire - Kern county Fire Perimeters, Hot spot locations
Canyon IC - Wildfire perimeter and location map
Kern County Incident update: Incident Name: Canyon Incident Location: 7 miles West of Bodfish Start Date & Report Time: 9/12/2010 @ 2:00 P.M. Fire Information Line: 760-379-5646 ext. 564 Acres: 3,000
Containment: 10% Total Personnel: 500 Fire Engines: 14 Helicopters: 5 Fire Crews: 8 Airtankers: 8 Water Tenders: 4 Bulldozers: 3 Injuries: 0 Structures Destroyed: 0 Structures Damaged: 0
Cause: Under Investigation Expected Containment: Unknown Current Situation: Last night the weather was optimal for ground resources to get 10% containment. Today air resources will be in the air at 8 A.M. and crews will keep the fire South of Hwy 178, West of the Bodfish-Caliente road, East of Cow Flat and North of the Breckenridge road. Evacuations: At Hobo and Sandy Flat Campgrounds, Miracle Day Use, Black Gulch South and all River raft launch sites Cooperating Agencies: Kern County Fire, U.S. Forest Service, B.L.M., K.C. Sheriff, C.H.P., Cal Trans
Additional Information: Unofficial closures for all Kern River water activities from Keysville to Democrat. California Fire News Canyon Fire Notes/Updates:
9-13-10 0800- 4000 acres and 10% contained with a containment date of 9/17. Resources include 22 engines, 30 crews, 4 dozers, 11 ATs and 5 copters along with other misc equipment assigned for a total of 626 personnel. Air resources were scheduled to be up in the air again by 0700hrs.
Canyon Fire is still at 4,000 acres and 10% contained. The fire is moving to the southeast and continued to burn actively through the night. Safety concerns with steep ground and active fire behavior. Per the CHP, tavel is not recommended on Caliente Bodfish Road between SR 58 and Lake Isabella due to large amount of fire equipment in the area. On Hwy 178 only 1 lane is open in each direction. 0700 9-13 - 3000 acres, 0 % Containment Type 1 Heli-tanker coming from out of state.
2100hrs-2000 acres, 0 % Everyone On the lines stay safe, LCES, 10's and 18's goodnight... 2030hrs- 750 acres, Forest service is going house to house warning residents, no residential evacuation at this time
1950- Structure protection issues towards Havilah in the Goff Meadow area. Dozers formed up into ST5190lima
1930hrs- Fixed-wing Aircraft released from fire, Pre-alert SO/OES possible future evacuations Havilah.
1900hrs-Kern FD kitchen lost in red tape, Porterville wants to use next up contract kitchen.
Canyon Fire IC - Branch 2 Setting up structure protection on Goff Road from bottom to top w/
ST5200c designator change - ST5025c same units
1850hrs- CP moving east, Ordering up KRN Kitchen! Fire camp taking over helispot, they can fly out of Kernville, Div reports fire starting to go downslope/drainages moderate ros w/ 1 ranch/structures out ahead.
1839- AA 490 Released back to Bakersfield, IC requesting Air Attack over fire first light.
1830hrs - 700 Acres - AA 410 assuming Air Attack, Air Attack working point protection and some slop.ST5200c for Immediate need Structure Protection to meet at Goff Ranch Rd. 1730hrs- 700 acres, Type 2 IMT requested. Cooper's South Central Sierra Team up. ST5627c ST1609c enroute.
1546hrs - Per IC Fire has spotted accross Hwy 178,
Smoke Showing - Smoke plume from #wildfire @ 1736hrs picture from SWFRS WebCam link
Location : Hwy 178, 2 mi. So. where it turns into the 4 lane on the South Side of the River, Access off Old Kern Canyon Rd. Road Closures: Highway 178 is closed between Bakersfield and Lake Isabella. Fuels/terrain: Fuel Type:heavy brush(Fully Sheltered) w/ mixed Light fuels in rocky steep terrain, burning into heavier brush GPS: Latitude - 35.57929, Longitude - 118.536129 - 35.37.46 x 118.48.55 Comms:
Local - 168.775 / 153.785
Command - Krn Com. 2 - 155.880 (for Kern Units)
Tac - NIFC Tac. 2 - 168.200
Air - 169.150
A/A - 135.975
A/G - 170.000
Batt. - Kern County Batt. 5, 7, SQF Batt.42, 46
AA-490
ATs - 76, 898
Helo - 407, 523
Eng. - 4 County, 4 SQF
Doz. - 2 Kern County Dozers
WTs - 1 County, 1 BLM
Crews - 2 County, 2 SQF Online scanner: http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?ctid=197 Weather: Requested: 1633 PDT 9/12/10
Forecast complete at 1701 PDT 9/12/10
Location:
Legal:SEC27S31ESEC24(CA)
Lat/Lon:35 33 30/118 35 55
Quad:
Calculated:
( 35.55833°N 118.59861°W)
(MIRACLE HOT SPRINGS CA)
FORECAST: Elevation: 2383-2400 Drainage: unknown Aspect: north Size:250
IF CONDITIONS BECOME UNREPRESENTATIVE,
CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
SPOT FORECAST FOR CANYON...KERN COUNTY FIRE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
501 PM PDT SUN SEP 12 2010
FORECAST IS BASED ON REQUEST TIME OF 1632 PDT ON SEPTEMBER 12.
IF CONDITIONS BECOME UNREPRESENTATIVE...CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.
.DISCUSSION...WEAK LOW PRESSURE OFF THE COAST WILL GRADUALLY MOVE
OVER
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TONIGHT AND MONDAY WITH A DRY SOUTHWEST TO WEST
FLOW ALOFT PREVAILING THROUGH THE WEEK ACROSS THE BURN AREA. LITTLE
CHANGE IN TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY TRENDING IS EXPECTED ON
MONDAY.
SLIGHT COOLING WILL OCCUR THROUGH TUESDAY THEN LITTLE CHANGE THE REST
OF THE
WEEK. WINDS WILL REMAIN MAINLY TERRAIN DRIVEN.
.TONIGHT...
SKY/WEATHER.........CLEAR.
MIN TEMPERATURE.....MIN 56-58.
MAX HUMIDITY........MAX 36-40 PERCENT.
EYE LEVEL WINDS.....WEST WINDS 4-9 MPH THROUGH SUNDOWN THEN BECOMING
DOWNSLOPE/DOWNCANYON 1-4 MPH.
SURROUNDING RIDGE...SOUTHWEST 8-12 MPH INCREASING TO SOUTH 15-20 MPH
OVERNIGHT.
MIXING HEIGHT.......LOWERING TO LESS THAN 500 FEET AGL.
TRANSPORT WINDS.....EAST 4 MPH.
.MONDAY...SKY/WEATHER.........SUNNY.
MAX TEMPERATURE.....MAX 95.
MIN HUMIDITY........MIN 10-15 PERCENT.
EYE LEVEL WINDS.....UPSLOPE 2-5 MPH.
SURROUNDING RIDGE...SOUTH 13-18 MPH.
MIXING HEIGHT.......INCREASING TO 10000 FEET AGL.
TRANSPORT WINDS.....SOUTH 30 MPH.
.MONDAY NIGHT...
SKY/WEATHER.........CLEAR.
MIN TEMPERATURE.....MIN 54-56.
MAX HUMIDITY........MAX 39-43 PERCENT.
EYE LEVEL WINDS.....WEST WINDS 4-9 MPH THROUGH SUNDOWN THEN BECOMING
DOWNSLOPE/DOWNCANYON 1-4 MPH.
SURROUNDING RIDGE...SOUTHWEST 15-20 MPH.
MIXING HEIGHT.......LOWERING TO LESS THAN 500 FEET AGL.
TRANSPORT WINDS.....SOUTHWEST 5 MPH.
Tree Deaths Have Doubled Across the Western U.S. -- Regional Warming May be the Cause
Tree death rates have more than doubled over the last few decades in old-growth forests of the western United States, and the most probable cause of the worrisome trend is regional warming, according to a U.S. Geological Survey-led (USGS) study published in Science on January 23.
The study found that the increase in dying trees has been pervasive. Tree death rates have increased across a wide variety of forest types, at all elevations, in trees of all sizes, and in pines, firs, hemlocks, and other kinds of trees.
Red fir, Sequoia National Park, California. Photo credit: Nate Stephenson, U.S. Geological Survey. (Larger image)
Regardless of the cause, higher tree death rates ultimately could lead to substantial changes in western forests, said Phil van Mantgem, a USGS scientist and co-leader of the research team. Such changes, the team noted, can have cascading effects, such as by changing forest suitability for wildlife species. Additionally, increasing tree mortality rates mean that western forests could become net sources of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, further speeding up the pace of global warming.
"The same way that in any group of people a small number will die each year, in any forest a small number of trees die each year," said van Mantgem. "But our long-term monitoring shows that tree mortality has been climbing, while the establishment of replacement trees has not."
The result is that forests have begun to lose trees faster than they're gaining them, said van Mantgem.
The study's authors ruled out a number of possible sources of the increasing tree deaths, including air pollution, long-term effects of fire suppression, and normal forest dynamics. In contrast, increasing regional temperature was correlated with tree deaths.
"Average temperature in the West rose by more than 1° F over the last few decades," said van Mantgem. "While this may not sound like much, it has been enough to reduce winter snowpack, cause earlier snowmelt, and lengthen the summer drought."
The lengthening summer drought could be stressing trees, leading to higher death rates, he said. Warmer temperatures also might favor insects and diseases that attack trees. Some recent outbreaks of tree-killing bark beetles in the West have already been linked to warming temperatures.
"Tree death rates are like interest on a bank account - the effects compound over time," said Nate Stephenson, also with the U.S. Geological Survey and research team co-leader. "A doubling of death rates eventually could reduce average tree age in a forest by half, thus reducing average tree size."
In some cases, increasing tree deaths could indicate forests vulnerable to sudden, extensive die-back, similar to forest die-back seen over the last few years in parts of the southwestern states, Colorado, and British Columbia. "That may be our biggest concern," said Stephenson. "Is the trend we're seeing a prelude to bigger, more abrupt changes to our forests?"
****REMINDER**** Every fire has the ability to be catastrophic. The wildland fire management environment has profoundly changed. Growing numbers of communities, across the nation, are experiencing longer fire seasons; more frequent, bigger, and more severe, fires are a real threat. Be careful with all campfires and equipment.
"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer." --Abraham Lincoln
