Trees forest for the

Tree mortality consisted primarily of true fir which comprised more than 77% of the total number of dead trees counted last year and was the largest tally ever recorded in the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region, according to the Forest Service’s report. Mortality was particularly severe and widespread in the central Sierra Nevada Range. Pictured are mostly fir trees in the Crystal Basin Recreation Area of the Eldorado National Forest.

n Aerial survey estimates 36M trees died in 2022

Areport from the U.S. Forest Service reveals about 36.3 million trees across 2.6 million acres of federal, state and private land died in California in 2022.

Tree mortality was found on 91,000 acres in the Eldorado National Forest, where 1.3 million dead trees were tallied. Countywide in El Dorado County an estimated 78,000 acres show tree mortality with 1.4 million dead trees counted.

This year, the central Sierra Nevada Range and areas further north showed the highest mortality rates with true firs being the most impacted, according to the report. The

Fire captain’s experience gives insight

Mountain Democrat staff

Forest Service and partners throughout the state are working together to remove dead trees and increase forest health. This marks an increased level of mortality compared to 2021 due to the cumulative impacts of extended drought, overstocked forest conditions, insect outbreaks n See treeS page A6 n See Palmiere, page A5

The Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit captain who was burned when a crew transport truck he was working on caught fire was released from the burn unit at UC Davis Medical Center after more than a month of treatment. Now Capt. Austin Palmiere says the experience changed the way he looks at burn patients he encounters in the line of duty.