Cobb Area Council receives Cal Fire’s fire season report
COBB >> The Cobb Area Council (CAC) held its regularly scheduled online public meeting on Thursday via Zoom and Facebook. After some short announcements, public and board comments on non-agenda items, nominations and elections for CAC for terms to start next January (the alternate is reelected every year, as well as three seats on the council during an odd numbered year), and treasurer’s report, the board welcomed Cal Fire Battalion Chief Paul Duncan, updating the council on fire season and the infamous pine beetle plague.
“We obtained a $500,000 grant for the transportation corridors, which is a big thing for us in the South Lake County area. That will benefit roadside projects, increasing the egress and ingress out of our communities. We also ordered a new ambulance,” said Duncan, followed by a presentation on bark beetles in the Cobb Mountain Area.
Large scale outbreaks across the whole West Coast are being caused thanks to a prolonged drought over multiple years and increases in temperatures throughout the winter. Droughts result in a lot of trees being in poor health, turning them into good hosts for bark beetles.
According to CalFire, a lot of different fungi can also weaken trees and, again, make them susceptible to beetles which can keep living in the wood even after the tree is cut up. They take advantage of trees that are severely drought stricken, have been damaged or have some disease. Red turpentine beetles also do not kill the tree, but they weaken it pretty severely.
Firefighters recommend, even though there are some chemical treatments, that “for your own health and safety, do not get insecticides to treat trees and, if you do have it done, do it professionally.” Some people do it themselves and they end up hurting themselves and the environment as well. Some trees will survive a beetle attack but, unfortunately, the vast majority don’t. For the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, additional tree mortality in the immediate area can be reduced if
the trees are removed at a very early stage. However, not all beetles are tree killers. The wood-boring one is natural and it decomposes the tree, creating a healthy forest.
The department advices to always clean up the tree debris and avoid making slash piles, since those create a habitat for bark beetles. Watering the trees can help them in the short term. Trees are genetically in their environment for a reason. If they are not getting enough water, watering them might be saving them for the interim, but not the long run, they are still going to die eventually. Over watering can lead to root disease and further weakening of the tree. Water must be conserved and saved for fire suppression.
Also, if the beetle plague is left untreated, it increases wildfire threat.
The Cobb Area Council tackled topics such as the Cobb Beautification HWY 175 project before detailing committee reports and upcoming events including the upcoming Candy Cane Run and Small Business Saturday. On December 16, CAC will sponsor a brief meeting followed by social at the Little Red Schoolhouse.