Stakeholder Groups Support Post Rim Fire Salvage Timber Program

L to R - Chuck James, FS OHV Program Manager, Mike Damaso, Merced Dirt Riders,

Don Amador, BRC/QWR/HQ, Dave Pickett, AMAD36

The Recreation HQ wants to commend the Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions working group, a coalition of environmental groups, timber interests, federal tribes, and off-roaders, for sending a recent joint letter of support to the FS for a salvage timber sale related to the 2013 Rim Fire.

Modesto Bee Article on YSS Letter

http://www.modbee.com/2014/04/22/3304927/rim-fire-salvage-logging-wins.html

HQ believes that collaborative stakeholder groups have an important role to play by bringing diverse interests together in an effort to find some middle ground in the land use debate.

HQ recently toured some of the Rim Fire impacts to OHV trails on the Stanislaus National Forest with agency staff and motorized stakeholders including AMA36 and the Merced Dirt Riders.  The Merced Dirt Riders should be proud of their efforts in the local collaborative.

Pre and post-fire forest health projects are an important element in the land manger’s tool box and finding ways to generate community support for those efforts will benefit our natural resources.

*Side note: HQ believes the agency should review its current mandatory post-fire “1 year closed to all user groups” directives.  Historically, the public has been allowed to use the forest once the fire has been extinguished.

Post Rim Fire Trail Work Update on Stanislaus NF/Hull Creek OHV Area

Post Rim Fire Trail Work on Stanislaus National Forest

With winter rains approaching in the next few weeks, QWR wants to commend agency staff on the Stanislaus National Forest for their work to stabilize or stormproof motorized routes in the Hull Creek OHV Area that were impacted by the Rim Fire.

According to an October 21, 2013 update from the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program, implementation is well underway ahead of the rainy season and assessment of additional needs is ongoing. Emergency response actions being taken include falling hazard trees near roads trails and campgrounds; improving and stormproofing roads to restore drainage; repairing and constructing rolling dips (drivable dips that remove water off the road); stabilizing and repairing trails; installing public warning signs gates and barricades for public safety; applying mulch and chipping woody material to protect exposed soil; and protecting cultural and natural resources.

Example of Rolling Dip

The BAER program also stated that while these treatments will help to reduce post-fire effects it must be recognized that not all effects can be mitigated and potential threats to life and property remain during runoff events. The projects underway are listed below.

Roads/Trails:

Restoring drainage - 61% complete:

Clean the ditches and culverts

Pull floatable debris from uphill of the culverts

Water bars – helps with the drainage of water and

grading the road.

Rolling dips: (repair and construct) - 13% complete

Trails:

Erosion control measure - 46% complete

Trail stabilization - 100% complete

Hazard tree mitigation - 100% complete

Install route markers - 100% complete

Install public warning signs gates and barricades

Protection/Safety:

Hazard tree mitigation - 94% complete along priority roads.

Cultural resource protection: erosion control measures are 69% complete and hazard tree mitigation is 100% complete.

QWR again wants to commend agency staff on the Stanislaus National Forest for their work to stabilize motorized trails that are so important to the OHV community.