September 12, 2014 - The previous article described the so-called “Total Suppression” policies put in place after the catastrophic forest fires in Idaho and Montana in the early part of the century. As a result of these policies the use of controlled burning as a means to reduce brush and other ladder fuels in the forest fell into disuse, particularly privately-owned land. Naturally occurring and human-caused fires were put out whether or not they constituted danger to residential property. Thus, Mariposa County became a tinderbox in the thirty years following 1920. Other counties up and down the Sierra Foothills had a similar dilemma.
In response to this problem, a state-wide collaborative effort was formed between the University of California Cooperative Extension Service, the California Division of Forestry (CDF now CAL FIRE), and a group of County Rangeland Improvement Associations. The primary goal of these associations was to use controlled burning to open up rangeland that had been encroached by brush to recover forage for cattle grazing, and to improve the health of the forested areas to assist logging, mining, and hunting. Improving fire safety was also an important goal. The state legislature passed a law which defined the planning and permitting process for such collaborative controlled burning, and which specified the oversight responsibilities of the California Division of Forestry and the UC Extension Service to assist the effort.
At the time there were two Rangeland Improvement Associations in Mariposa County: Coulterville/Groveland which dealt with North County, and Mariposa which dealt with everything south of the Merced River. During the years when these associations were active, total acres burned varied from 17,000 in 1951 to over 72,000 in 1954. One example: on September 11, 1954, a single controlled burn (called the Merced/Colorado Burn) was conducted south of the Merced River including Telegraph Mountain and the area between Mosher Road, Highway 140 and East Whitlock Road. With the help of twelve volunteer fire crews the Merced/Colorado burn was a complete success, consuming over 10,000 ac.
The burn itself was almost anti-climactic, as the amount of planning and preparation that preceded it required much volunteer work during the previous year. Each landowner had to be contacted, and could opt out of the burn. Those not opting out had to execute a request for permit. If the permit was granted, the permit holder became part of the fire crew doing the burn and the burn preparation. Parcels not part of the burn had to be isolated with a fire break. Dangerous areas had to be isolated and pre-burned. Fire breaks had to be built around the burn perimeter. The CDF provided oversight for the entire process. The Rangeland Association and its members provided tools -- rakes, backpack sprayers, drip torches, and even bulldozers. It was estimated by the Farm Advisor that the cost of most burns in Mariposa County were less than $.75 per acre. This does not, of course, include any labor or equipment use donated by the volunteer fire crews.
Today the Merced/Colorado Burn would be impossible in Mariposa County. The current fuel load is far too heavy to safely conduct a burn. In addition the population of Mariposa has grown and the landscape itself has changed. Parcels are smaller, with many being second homes, rented or absentee owned. Many of our current residents or landowners may not be aware of the importance of reducing their fuel loads. It is time to rebuild our understanding and commitment to fire safety and fuel load reduction on private unimproved land.
Part One: Fire Ready Group in Mariposa County: Fire History in the Sierra Foothills
Below is a flyer for the First Annual Fire Ready Workshop to be held in Midpines on October 11, 2014.
