building back REVISITING DISASTER ZONE A DECADE POST TRAGEDY

by CCA Associate Director of Communications Maureen LaGrande

On Aug. 13, 2013, an illegally lit campfire off Highway 120 in Tuolumne County grew out of control and led to the burning of over 257,000 acres. This disastrous fire, named the Rim Fire became the third-largest wildfire California had seen and as of today is the 11th largest in the state's wildfire history. The severity of the fire has left an everlasting impact on the Stanislaus National Forest and on those who call the area home.

Bright and early Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, a few days shy of the fire’s 10th anniversary, ranchers, state agency staff, county supervisors, U.S. Forest Service, CalFire and other individuals gathered in Tuolumne to embark on “The Rim Fire 10 Years Later” a tour of the Stanislaus National Forest and the impacts that the fire made. Generous sponsorship from the California Cattle Council, Stanislaus Grazing Permittees – Tuolumne County Cattlemen, Tuolumne County Alliance for Resources and Environment (TuCARE), UC Davis – Russell L. Rustici Rangeland and Cattle Research Endowment and the Tuolumne County Farm Bureau allowed for an informative tour for all in attendance.

The objective of the tour was to bring a variety of groups together who all have different interests when it comes to fire and openly communicate what their entities' needs may be and to find ways to work together to reach a solution. Consisting of multiple stops throughout the day the tour identified, discussed and educated attendees on what happened, what’s been done and provided a look towards the future of wildfire.

Stop 1, Sierra Pacific Industries Property off 3NO1 “Rim Fire History”

As everyone found a seat surrounded by the shade of the forest, Stanislaus Grazing Permittee Association Chairman Dick Gaiser, Chinese Camp welcomed the group and thanked the guest speakers for attending. Gaiser provided a brief overview of what was in store for the day and then handed the microphone over to Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) South Sierra Area Manager, Tim Tate to speak about the history of the Rim Fire.

Tate began by sharing statistics on the fire and the recount of events that occurred throughout the burn. From the initial start on Aug. 17, 2013, the fire gained a lot of momentum. Three days later, SPI got a hold of operators to start mobilizing and building fire lines. Despite the crew's efforts to build these fire lines, the burn got to the point where it was too dangerous to continue. “We had to retreat quickly,” shared Tate, even leaving a piece of equipment behind. In the years following a lot of work and restoration took place due to the extensive fire hit. SPI spent the next two seasons directly following the fire, salvaging timber. “That was the fire that set a new consciousness in the public,” said Tate.

Stanislaus grazing permittee, Dan Erickson, Snelling, whose family has been running cattle in the forest since the late 1800s was the next to speak. He recounted his memories of the fire and what it was like for ranchers who had livestock in the forest as the burn worsened. While his family was able to retrieve most of their livestock, other ranchers were not as lucky, losing parts of their herd. Erickson added that the fire personnel were good to deal with during the fire and that they helped ranchers locate their livestock. Road access with down timber and debris was a challenge faced when trying to extract livestock from the forest.

“Us getting around roads is pretty important,” said Erickson.

In the years following the burn, road conditions are still a struggle for ranchers to transport and move their livestock to the permit. To properly utilize the grazing ground, clear roads are a dire need for the permit holders.

Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor, Jason Kuiken, the last to speak at the first stop talked about the impacts of the fire and how the different sectors need to work together on fire suppression efforts. While speaking about fire and its effects, Kuiken emphasized how “fire impacts landscape, history and the ability for people to perform their job.”

He then showed a map of fires occurring over time from 1980 – 2021 to show how they impacted the landscape. While Kuiken commended the utilization of cattle grazing, he detailed how cattle don’t eat at the rates needed to manage fast forest growth and that prescribed burns or other forms of forest management need to be discussed. While change can’t happen overnight, Kuiken expressed the want to work in partnership between grazing permittees, CalFire and the Stanislaus National Forest to have people run cattle for generations to come and have a healthy habitat for all species. “We need to do more,” said Kuiken.

To conclude his talk, Kuiken posed the question to the group, What’s the biggest need, and how to change the outcome when it comes to fire? Some answers he added could be implementing fuel breaks, forest thinning, removal of biomass and following up with prescribed fire.

Stop 2, Camp 43, off 1NO4 “Post Rim Fire Restoration”

The next stop provided a view and explanation of post-fire restoration efforts. Stanislaus grazing permittee, Stuart Crook, Groveland, also shared his family’s story of grazing cattle in the forest and had begun so in 1964. In the early years of running cattle on the permit, Crook detailed that there was a lot of logging going on at the time but a large amount of it went away in the mid-80s when the Spotted Owl came into play.

The Rim Fire heavily impacted Crook’s livestock operation, burning 100 head of his cattle. With the devastation and loss his operation faced in the fire's wake, Crook emphasized the need for work to be done to the forest whether it be road clearance or forest thinning.

“You’ve got to have good management out here,” says Crook, adding that putting cattle out on the permits helps to manage growth.

Next, Pacific Southwest U.S. Forest Service Research Station’s (PSW-USFS) Brandon Collins started his talk by identifying the following three observations of past fires through research and studies:

1. Forests have changed;

2. The effect of types of fires is completely unnatural;

3. And management is a tough circle when chasing fire.

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After sharing these observations, Collins explained what research has revealed about past fire practices including that indigenous people partook in burning, to help keep forests in check. Data from timber surveys in the early 1900s found that forests were more open in general. Today the forests are much denser and there is a shift where the small to moderatesized trees are the ones dominating the forest, versus the large trees.

As Collins concluded his talk, Tate got up to speak about SPI’s efforts and explain what took place after the fire. Immediately following a fire, SPI sends foresters to assess the damage and where they should allocate their efforts first. When looking at burned trees, there are three classifications in which the tree will be placed. These classifications are black, brown and green.

1. Black – High severity, most damage, get logged first

2. Brown – Areas where fire is a little less intense, needles left, cambium, (slim chance of surviving)

3. Green – Fire probably more modeled, lower intensity small group damage, tree by tree of where to harvest

Logging each tree based on its classification, the job itself takes a long time and effort. Tate, praised the owners of SPI, sharing how they are willing to make investments in not only cleaning up and logging the damaged forest but also helping to replant what was lost. At this stop, attendees could see in the background of the speakers, trees that had been replanted. Tate shared that the reforestation efforts included planting a variety of trees which was 35 percent Ponderosa, 21 percent Sugar Pine, 24 percent Douglas Fir, 8 percent Western White Pine, 10 percent Incense Cedar and the remaining Giant Sequoia. District Ranger SNF Jim Junette also spoke on the reforestation efforts and the goals for the future of managing the forests.

Stop 3, Penny Pines Plantation “Grazing Permittees Perspective & Strategic Fuel Targeted”

As attendees grabbed a boxed lunch and found a place in the shade to sit, a panellike discussion took place between grazing permittees, range program management and UCANR research specialists. Dan Erickson detailed how his permit enables him to bring cattle at the end of August and that they stay until around mid-October. He also shared that he found after the fire the cattle did a bit better out on the permit with the forest regrowth, enabling his cattle to gain weight.

Fellow Stanislaus grazing permittee, Sherri Brennan, Sonora, described the specific set of guidelines permittees must follow to run cattle on the allotments. Some of these include keeping cattle in the area they are assigned to and not letting them go somewhere they’re not supposed to be.

“Cattle actually do a very good job,” adds Brennan, referring to grazing on the allotments and that they are a “tool in the toolbox” when it comes to fire mitigation efforts. Brennan took this time to recognize that the rural community took a huge hit because of the fire, noting that tourism, restaurants, hotels and schools were all closed.

After the permittees finished sharing their knowledge of the allotments, Range Program Manager for the Stanislaus National Forest Crispin Holland provided an overview of grazing in the forest in the early 1920s and how cattle numbers reached a high through WWII but reduced come the 1960s with the implementation of the Endangered Species Act and other factors. The effect on wildlife recovery after the Rim Fire was also covered, revealing that many of the raptors such as the Spotted Owl are sensitive species and that their comeback has been slow.

Cooperative Extension Rangeland Specialist Leslie Roach, Ph.D. addressed the social, ecological and economic value of the forest. Roach discussed rangeland water quality surveys and livestock distribution practices as well as studies of the benefits of long-term rangeland conservation livestock grazing management. UCANR Assistant Specialist Brian Allen completed the panel discussion presenting on a new technology, virtual fencing along with rancher and El Dorado Grazing Permittee Leisel Finley. Together they explained how virtual fencing works and the observations made over the last year on Finley’s experience using the technology on her livestock.

Stop 4, Cherry Oil Road and 1N01 “Wide Range Outlook”

The winding roads through the Stanislaus National Forest brought the group to an outlook providing a wide view of the forest. At this stop Senior Analyst for the County of Tuolumne Liz Peterson spoke about Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions (YSS). Peterson explained that YSS is a collective group with different concentrations working with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Yosemite National Park and private land managers on creating restoration plans and ways to maintain a healthy forest and ecosystem. To wrap up the fourth stop, Sierra Nevada Conservancy Executive Officer Angela Avery spoke about the Conservancy and explained that they are there to listen, learn and be the voice at the table for natural resources and translate those messages into policy and funding opportunities.

Stop 5, Cherry Lake Forest Service Station

“Forest Watershed Costs”

The final leg of the tour took place at the Cherry Lake Fire Station. As attendees took in the view of Cherry Lake, TuCARE’s Stacey Dodge introduced the final guest speakers of the tour, Ethan Billigmeier, Utility Analyst for the City and County of San Francisco and USFS Associate Deputy Chief (Ret) – Sierra Pacific Industries Consultant, Barnie Gyant. Billigmeier discussed old infrastructure and the effects fire has on them and putting more mitigation into place.

Gyant, who had been taking note of each speaker's comments throughout the day, touched on the economic side of fire suppression and how the money to work towards protecting the forests and resources is there. He also encouraged all groups in attendance to not just say they need to come together but seize the opportunity in that very moment to walk over and discuss their needs with each other.

“The only way we’re going to come at this issue is that we’re going to come at it together,” said Gyant. After Gyant’s talk, attendees got in line for a steak dinner and time to converse with one another reflecting upon the day. A final thanks from TuCARE’s Stacey Dodge and Sherri Brennan brought the tour to an official end.

While today the Rim Fire may not have been the largest or most disastrous to burn in California history, it still greatly impacted the residents, natural resources, wildlife and forest of Tuolumne County.

“Decisions on our actions today set us on a course for what the future looks like,” said Gyant. Individual needs cannot always be accomplished all at once, but the listening ear of those in attendance on the tour is a step in promoting communicative and active efforts between parties to work towards preventative wildfire strategies.

“We have relationships to build,” stated Brennan.