western states in another drought?

[Bill C]

Accu Weather online talking about how dry out west really is. Just remembering the bad fire storms last year. Any thoughts on this for 2004?

[MN Josh]

Accu Weather online talking about how dry out west really is. Just remembering the bad fire storms last year. Any thoughts on this for 2004?


EdK can probably give you the up to the minute details but yes it is still pretty dry out there. I grew up in Lake Arrowhead (site of "Old Fire" in October 2003) and my parents still live there. A similar drought existed in the late 1980's but was ended during the El Nino cycle of 1993. Arrowhead recieved around 80" of rain in a very short period and the lake rose 15 feet. It has since receded to some of it's lowest levels ever, now they are battling sandbars and whole bays that are drying up. The other problem compounding the situation is the bark beetle infestation which has decimated the entire forest of all it's pine trees. They just can't take them down fast enough and they are huge sources of fuel scattered in and around houses. If there is another fire, it will claim less land but probably more houses.

Josh

[EdK]

Yes. We're into another nasty drought year. Unless things do a turn-around in the next couple of months, I'm afraid for what will happen to our local mountains. For example.....because of the on-going drought, many of the pines in our local mountains have fallen victim to the bark beetle. Fatality rate is over 50% in many areas......50%!!!!! Where I live, since July, as of this morning, Riverside has recieved only 3" of rain. Overall, most accumulations are down by about 75%. Rain dance anyone?? Ed

[Rick D]

Colorado is very dry as well. Mountain snowpacks are below average around the state - a little in some places and a lot in others. I think there are a few isolated areas up north that are at or above average, but they're small areas and they're the exception. Even if they were average, we'd be looking at water restirctions and high fire dangers due to the exceedingly dry preceeding years that we've never recovered from. Last year, we were spared by a couple of enormous storms in March, which unfortunately led a lot of people to believe that the drought was over, but we're already getting letters from our water utility warning of water restrictions and low reservoir levels. I'm expecting we'll see a ban on fires in wilderness areas and parks again this year, especially in the southwestern part of the state. The Pine Beetle (related to bark beetle that Ed mentioned, maybe?) is taking it's toll out here and there's a lot of dead or near dead trees to fuel any fires. In populated mountain communities, people are being ordered to have the trees removed, I think at their own expense. Keeping our fingers crossed for snow and then rain...

Rick

[EdK]

Rick.....Yep, you're right. The pine bark beetle is the one I was referring to. Death begins at the top of the tree and just steadily works it's way down. Around here, we really can't see any let up until you get above 9,000'+, then the fatalities are visibly less. Below that, it's horrific. Ed

[Rick D]

Ed,
yeah - it's a horrible infestation. I was in Big Bear Lake for a couple of weeks last summer, and couldn't believe how bad the trees were - worse than in Colorado. I'd say about 80% or more had beetles, and some of the trunks looked like someone stood there and fired buckshot into them repeatedly. My cousin-n-law(?) has a place on the lake and I recall that there were some fires up that way late last year. It's sad to see, but I think the only cure for that beetle may be a natural one: a robust fire that thins things out. - rick

[EdK]

Rick...Just south of Big Bear lies the San Gorgonio Wilderness. This is where I do much of my local hiking and backpacking. Sooner or later, a fire much worse than the ones in October will happen, and when it does, with all of the "deadness", I'm afraid it won't stop until it reaches treeline at about 10,500' or so. But.....this is all a natural occurance and I'm sure it's not the first time it's happened. I'm curious to see what the forest will look like in 10 years. Ed

[MN Josh]

Ed,
yeah - it's a horrible infestation. I was in Big Bear Lake for a couple of weeks last summer, and couldn't believe how bad the trees were - worse than in Colorado. I'd say about 80% or more had beetles, and some of the trunks looked like someone stood there and fired buckshot into them repeatedly. My cousin-n-law(?) has a place on the lake and I recall that there were some fires up that way late last year. It's sad to see, but I think the only cure for that beetle may be a natural one: a robust fire that thins things out. - rick

A fire will definately wipe out some of the beetle population, among fire's many other benefits to a forest. Actually, the beetle problem is also a self limiting problem that doesn't last forever. Eventually the beetles will run out of trees to feed on and die back, and the forest will eventually return to normal. I was disturbed about it at first when my parents lost around 15 trees with a diameter of 4' or more. This type of thing happens though and is not a new phenomenon as my Grandfather reminded me. He has a degree in forestry, worked for the U.S. Forest Service for nearly 40 years and can remember seeing similar infestations in Utah and Colorado as far back as the 1950's when he was still in the field. Most of those forests have recovered admirably. It will be interesting to see what happens. Hopefully nobody picks up a 6 legged hitchhiker on their way to Colorado

Josh