Tag Archives: calfire

Over the Garden Fence – Planting Conifers for Post-Fire Forest Restoration

Planting Conifers for Post-Fire Forest Restoration 

 

March 14, 2023 – Ron Allen, UC Master Gardener, Mariposa County – The Oak Fire (July 2022) devastated large parts of the ponderosa pine forest in the mountains east of Mariposa. Wooded Over the Garden Fencelandscapes on private properties and substantial areas of the adjoining Sierra National Forest were affected. This article explains how to plant conifer seedlings for post-fire forest restoration.

The conifer plant materials for reforestation are not large potted or crated trees, but rather seedlings in smaller tree pots or plugs. Potted seedlings—about one- to two-feet high—still come in standard, cylindrical one-gallon nursery containers, but are nowadays more commonly grown in tapered, ribbed plastic containers which are square in cross-section. These small trees are typically two to three years old. The plugs are smaller, cylindrical tubes, about two inches in diameter. Plug trees are cheaper, less hardy, and generally only a year old post-germination.

When purchasing pot or plug seedlings, it is tempting to select plants that are taller, anticipating that they will grow sooner to a desired height. But, instead, one should favor plants that are thicker at their base; they have a higher success rate for survival, owing to the likelihood of their having better root structures. Seedling survival is the key.

MG OTGF Tree starters smPlanting a potted seedling is straightforward. Clear the spot of any slash to expose the underlying soil. A site on the shady side of a stump or log is perfect. With a post-hole shovel (a drain spade), dig a hole about twice the volume of the tree pot and deep enough so that the pot soil matches the surrounding ground level. Tip the potted plant over, letting it slide out, and settle it into the hole. Refill the hole with native soil.

In the case of a very hot local fire—indicated by the presence of white ash in the immediate area—add some mycorrhizal fungi soil amendments. Otherwise, native soil is best for refill. Level off the spot around the plant.

Planting a plug seedling is similar, but the hole is much smaller. It is important to ensure that the lower portion of the plug is firmly surrounded by soil when the hole is closed. Professional foresters—with many plugs to put down–use a special tool, called a hoedad, for this purpose. The hoedad is a short-handled hoe with an elongated blade. The planter strikes the blade into the ground and wiggles the handle to and fro so as to create a v-shaped indentation. The seedling plug is dropped into the depression. Then the hoedad is struck again into the ground adjacent to the plug and the handle pressed down, so that the deep blade closes the lower soil around the plug’s lower roots. With a stomp of the boot from above, the forester closes the planting hole. An accomplished forester does this in 30 seconds.

Pot or plug seedlings should be separated by ten to twelve feet for reforestation projects. If the target landscape is well-watered, the survival rate is approximately 75 percent. When the landscape water is less reliable, the survival rate falls to about 30 percent.

Appropriate conifers for reforestation after the Oak Fire are Ponderosa Pine, Sugar Pine, Knobcone Pine, Incense Cedar, and Douglas Fir. Future reforestation articles will cover broadleaf tree reforestation, post-fire planting of shrubs, and meadow restoration.

 

 

Related: Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 5

Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 4

Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 3

Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 2

Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery

 

 

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Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 5

Do your part to prevent human caused wildfire: Part 5 

Over the Garden FenceSeptember 26, 2022 – By Michele Nowak-Sharkey, UC Master Gardener of Mariposa County – The largest natural cause of fire is lighting. However, most fires are human caused. The percentage varies from 89% – 95% depending on the source. With the increase in drought, fuel build-up in unburned forests, earlier springs, higher temperatures, beetle infested weakened trees, with the addition of a bit of wind and the same actions that might have easily extinguished a small fire in the past are now creating dangerous infernos.

Being aware of our everyday choices can impact the number and magnitude of fires in the future.
(https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/fire-prevention-education-mitigation/wildfire-investigation)

MMG Human Causes of Wildfire

Debris and open burning include burn piles, yard debris, burn barrels, ditch/fence line burning, pest control, open trash burning, burning personal items, distress/signal fires, land clearing, right-of-way hazard reduction, or other escaped controlled burning. Windblown embers or fire creeping from the control burn area into un-cleared vegetation are the primary ignition mechanisms.

How to prevent: Landscape debris piles must be in 4 feet by 4 feet piles.  Clear all flammable material and vegetation within 10 feet of the outer edge of pile.

Keep a water supply and shovel close by.

A responsible adult is required by law to be in attendance until the fire is out.

Stay mindful of current weather conditions when burning. If it’s windy and the surrounding vegetation is very dry, it may be best to wait and burn another day.

Check Mariposa County for burn permit requirements. 209 966-1200. (https://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Fire_Information/Permits_and_Regulations/Mariposa_County_Permitting)

Arson is the criminal act of deliberately or maliciously setting fire to property including public lands with the intent to damage or defraud. Devices and “hot sets” are commonly used to ignite fires.

How to prevent: If you see or know of unusual activity in an area where wildfires are occurring, report it immediately. Note descriptions of vehicles and people in the area including dates, times, and location. Photos and videos are extremely helpful!

Equipment/Vehicle fires range from heavy construction to small portable engines (passenger vehicles/RVs, motorcycles, OHV, ATV, trailers, road graders, bulldozers, tractor trailers, welders, grinders, wind generators, chain saws, pumps, generators, etc.).

Ignitions sources are mechanical breakdowns/malfunctions such as exhaust (direct heat transfer, organic material collecting on the exhaust system, and particles), catalytic converter pieces, hot metal fragments, metal/pavement contact (dragging trailer chains and metal parts), friction, flat tires, spark arrestor malfunctions, faulty electrical system/wiring, collisions, refueling operations, and rock/hard surface strikes.

How to Prevent: Perform regular maintenance on your vehicles – secure chains, inspect for dragging parts, check tire pressure, and properly maintain brakes. Visit Ready for Wildfire equipment use for more prevention tips. (https://www.readyforwildfire.org/prevent-wildfire/equipment-use)

Firearms and explosives use requires being aware of any firearm projectiles along with flares from flare guns and signal flares.

How to Prevent: Explosives, exploding targets, incendiary ammunition and tracer bullets are prohibited on public lands during high fire danger. Check for fire restrictions and prohibited uses in the area. To prevent wildfires while target shooting, follow these tips:

Bring a shovel and water or fire extinguisher.

Place your targets on dirt or gravel, clear and away from grass and other vegetation.

If fire danger is high (dry, hot, and windy) consider shooting at an established outdoor or indoor range.

Know your ammunition – don’t shoot steel component, tracer, or incendiary bullets.

Bullets can spark when striking solid objects, sending hot fragments into vegetation – don’t shoot trash like TVs and appliances or at rocks and metal targets such as signs.

Fireworks burn at extremely elevated temperatures making all fireworks ignition sources especially the airborne type (i.e., bottle rockets and roman candles). Even sparklers burn at 1200°F.

How to prevent: Despite the dangers of fireworks, few people understand the associated risks – devastating burns, other injuries, fires, and even death. During times of high fire danger, federal and local agencies impose fire restrictions and/or fire prevention orders.

Misuse of fire by minors has its own category. Young children, ages 12 or younger, motivated by normal curiosity may use fire in an experimental fashion; “playing with matches.” They look for easily accessible ignition devices and frequently use both paper and wood matches, lighters, fireworks, or magnifying glasses to ignite fires.

How to prevent: Set a good example and teach children fire safety at an early age. The most critical message for children to learn is that matches, and lighters are tools and not toys! Parents should never use lighters, matches and fire for fun – children will mimic the behavior,

Power line caused wildfires are often due to high winds, contact with vegetation, equipment failure, or human or animal contact with a power line (conductor wire). Several of these factors may work to cause a fire, such as wind blowing vegetation into contact with the electrical equipment.

How to prevent: Proper maintenance including vegetation clearance around equipment can help prevent wildfires. For your safety, however, stay away from power lines, meters, transformers, and electrical boxes. Leave the maintenance to the professionals – if you see vegetation close or in contact with power lines or bird nest close to the lines or conductor boxes, notify your utility company.

Recreation and ceremony include campfires improperly constructed, unattended, improperly extinguished, or abandoned; barbeque/smokers; bonfires; ceremonial fires; gas cookers, warming and lighting devices; luminary (sky lanterns); and outdoor fireplaces, metal fire rings and candles.

How to Prevent: Learn how to construct a proper campfire and how to put it out. (https://smokeybear.com/en/prevention-how-tos/campfire-safety) Never leave grills and smokers unattended. Watch weather conditions closely when considering have a bonfire, ceremonial fire or using candles.

Smoking fires are generated from discarded unextinguished cigarettes and other materials used for smoking. Wildfires caused by smoking activities or accoutrements, include matches, cigarettes, cigars, pipes, electronic cigarettes (vape heads), and drug paraphernalia.

How to Prevent: Never flick cigarette butts out the window. Watch where you toss used matches and other smoking accoutrements. Beware of wind conditions when using such paraphernalia.

We want to get back to fire as a beneficial effect on the landscape rather than a damaging effect.

As Smokey says “Only YOU can help prevent wildfires” by our personal actions and the actions we take as a community.

Next Up: Defensible Space and How to Create It

Related:

Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 4

Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 3

Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 2

Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery

For assistance, contact our Helpline at (209) 966-7078 or at mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu. We are currently unable to take samples or meet with you in person but welcome pictures.

The U.C. Master Gardener Helpline is staffed; Tuesdays from 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. and Thursdays from 2:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Clients may bring samples to the Agricultural Extension Office located at the Mariposa Fairgrounds, but the Master Gardener office is not open to the public. We will not be doing home visits this year due to UCANR restrictions.

Serving Mariposa County, including Greeley Hill, Coulterville, and Don Pedro
Please contact the helpline, or leave a message by phone at: (209) 966-7078
By email (send photos and questions for researched answers) to: mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu

For further gardening information and event announcements, please visit: UCMG website: https://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener
Follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/mariposamastergardeners

Master Gardener Office Location:
UC Cooperative Extension Office,
5009 Fairgrounds Road
Mariposa, CA 95338

Phone: (209) 966-2417
Email: mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu
Website: http://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener

Visit the YouTube channel at UCCE Mariposa.

 

 

 

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Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery, Part 1

August 26, 2022 – By Michele Nowak-Sharkey, UC Master Gardener, Mariposa County – Wildfire has entered our common vocabulary over the past 15+ years across California and Mariposa County.

From the Telegraph Fire in ‘08 to the Washburn, Agua and Oak fires, Mariposa County has experienced unpredictable blazes, resulting in ash strewn hills of black and gray. In fire-burned areas, it looks as Over the Garden Fenceif it will always be this way.

And yet for landscape recovery after fire, “time heals all wounds.” Nature heals. As stewards of the land where we have built our community, we can partner with nature to support healing of the places we love.

Over the next few weeks this series will offer suggestions about working with nature when fire has touched your land and how to help prevent fire spread if it happens again.

Sources for best practices in returning to and rehabilitating property after fire: https://www.mariposacounty.org/2644/Returning-After-the-Fire.

The following is adapted from the California Native Plant Society Fire Recovery Guide: https://www.cnps.org/give/priority-initiatives/fire-recovery.

Things to consider during the clean-up and rebuilding after fire:

  1. Minimize foot traffic, equipment, and disturbances to the landscape. Activity on charred ground can compact the soil lowering water absorption and increasing runoff.

Create a traffic pattern for equipment and parking vehicles. Decide on a place for debris and rebuilding materials.

  1. There are two kinds of ash. Where structures have burned is mostly ash from human-made materials, containing asbestos, heavy metals, or other hazardous substances.

Follow local and federal guidelines when sifting through to find personal belongings and cleaning up.

Vegetation ash is not toxic. This ash is from your shrubs, trees, and garden. Vegetation ash can provide cover for scorched earth.

  1. Assess the land. Take photos of various areas of your property. Look for burned trees, broken limbs, places where erosion might happen due to vegetation loss.

While you are mapping your strategy for rebuilding structures, create action items for rehabilitating the landscape section by section. It won’t happen all at once. As they say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

Wildfire recovery is a steady process of damage assessment, evaluation of new conditions and a plan of what to do next.

Be gentle with yourself and know you have a wonderful partner in nature. If you are willing to listen and learn, nature will respond in kind.

And as time heals, the black and gray of the landscape will soon be dotted with greens and browns once more.

Next: Scorched Earth – Soil Rx: Stopping Soil Erosion

For assistance, contact our Helpline at (209) 966-7078 or at mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu. We are currently unable to take samples or meet with you in person but welcome pictures.

The U.C. Master Gardener Helpline is staffed; Tuesdays from 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. and Thursdays from 2:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Clients may bring samples to the Agricultural Extension Office located at the Mariposa Fairgrounds, but the Master Gardener office is not open to the public. We will not be doing home visits this year due to UCANR restrictions.

Serving Mariposa County, including Greeley Hill, Coulterville, and Don Pedro
Please contact the helpline, or leave a message by phone at: (209) 966-7078
By email (send photos and questions for researched answers) to: mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu

For further gardening information and event announcements, please visit: UCMG website: https://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener
Follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/mariposamastergardeners

Master Gardener Office Location:
UC Cooperative Extension Office,
5009 Fairgrounds Road
Mariposa, CA 95338

Phone: (209) 966-2417
Email: mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu
Website: http://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener

Visit the YouTube channel at UCCE Mariposa.

 

 

 

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Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 2

Scorched Earth – Soil Rx 

September 1, 2022 – Tery Susman, UC Master Gardener of Mariposa County – Wildfires can create immediate and potentially long-term soil erosion. However, there are a number of ways to mitigate this Over the Garden Fencepost-fire concern.

Adapted from the California Native Plant Society Fire Recovery Guide: https://www.cnps.org/give/priority-initiatives/fire-recovery.

  1. Leave the mess; keep it under cover. Much needed soil protection is provided by what the fire left behind. Ash, debris, fallen heat damaged leaves as well as the charred remains of plants can protect the land from wind and water erosion.

If a fire has burned so severely that no material is left on the ground, patches of soil form a crust and become hydroponic (water repellent), increasing runoff. This might necessitate applying chips, mulch from dead debris or straw.

Spreading mulch is the most effective erosion control treatment because it provides what the fire and heavy equipment removed – ground cover! This ground cover allows water to infiltrate the soil instead of running off and eroding it.

Prune or remove only high hazard fire-damaged trees near buildings and roads. Keep felled trees and pruning on-site. These trees can be a source of mulch.

  1. Minimize soil compaction. Keep foot traffic and equipment off burned landscape. Activity on slopes increases erosion weakening soil’s bonds, dislodging soil particles, and trampling newly sprouted plants. Activity on flat ground can compact the soil and lower its water absorption rates, which increases runoff.
  2. Successful Strategies:

Spread: a mulch application. Straw mulch has high efficacy in reducing rainwater runoff, soil erosion, and downstream sedimentation. Use loose barley or wheat straw because it is longer lasting. Rice straw is less expensive. Use when the straw doesn’t need to last as long. Use straw mulch in “free form”, no more than 2-3 inches deep. Mulch in 6-10 foot strips along contour, spaced at 50-100 foot intervals, depending on the steepness of the slope.

Use wood mulch from local materials, including burned trees, shredded debris, or thinned, unburned trees ,wattles, mulch, rocks, and branches can slow down and disperse the runoff, limiting erosion and sediment.

Use straw wattles to shorten slope length. They are designed for short slopes or slopes flatter than 3:1 and low surface flows. For more information on the proper wattle installation go to: https://ucanr.edu/sites/postfire/files/247999.pdf.

Sink: Place rocks, gravel, or crushed rock in areas of high traffic.

Share: Work with neighbors to create a plan to slow runoff. In disturbed areas of moderate to high fire intensity, a neighborhood plan can be critical in preventing sediment and fire debris from washing into sensitive creek habitats and contributing to flooding.

  1. Seek advice: There are many professionals available to assist with on-site fire damage. If you are concerned that your property may be at risk from flooding or debris flow, reach out to these organizations:

Natural Resources Conservation Services – www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/ca/home, call (209) 966-3431

CAL Fire – www.fire.ca.gov (209) 966-3622

Recovering from a wildfire can be a daunting process. Be patient with yourself and with nature. Do what you can, ask for help, and know that our community is STRONG!

Next:  Give Trees a Chance – Ecosystem Resilience

Maxwell Rygiol Detwiler 2017 Erosion 1
Photo Credit: Maxwell Rygiol, from 2017 Detwiler Fire
Maxwell Rygiol Detwiler 2017 Erosion Driveway
Photo Credit: Maxwell Rygiol, from 2017 Detwiler Fire

For assistance, contact our Helpline at (209) 966-7078 or at mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu. We are currently unable to take samples or meet with you in person but welcome pictures.

The U.C. Master Gardener Helpline is staffed; Tuesdays from 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. and Thursdays from 2:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Clients may bring samples to the Agricultural Extension Office located at the Mariposa Fairgrounds, but the Master Gardener office is not open to the public. We will not be doing home visits this year due to UCANR restrictions.

Serving Mariposa County, including Greeley Hill, Coulterville, and Don Pedro
Please contact the helpline, or leave a message by phone at: (209) 966-7078
By email (send photos and questions for researched answers) to: mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu

For further gardening information and event announcements, please visit: UCMG website: https://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener
Follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/mariposamastergardeners

Master Gardener Office Location:
UC Cooperative Extension Office,
5009 Fairgrounds Road
Mariposa, CA 95338

Phone: (209) 966-2417
Email: mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu
Website: http://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener

Visit the YouTube channel at UCCE Mariposa.

 

 

 

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Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 4

 

To Seed or Not to Seed? – The best approach to revegetation 

September 23, 2022 – Tery Susman, UC Master Gardener of Mariposa County – To seed or not to seed…that truly is the question.

Over the Garden FenceAdapted from the California Native Plant Society Fire Recovery Guide:

https://cnps.org/gove/priority-initiatives/fire-recovery

ANR Publication 8366 – Recovering from Wildfire: a Guide for California’s Forest Landowners: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=8386

Our human tendency is to fix what we perceive as a potential problem or as something “broken” or “untidy”. Our first thought is to reseed flowering plants and grasses on our fire scorched property to speed up vegetation establishment and soil stability; fixing what is “broken”. However, recent research has shown that seeding is not more effective than letting the area recover naturally; and given the risk of introducing invasive species, it is generally no longer recommended.

Natural regeneration gives the land a chance to recover on its own from the existing soil seed bank, nearby seed sources, and the resprouting of surviving perennial plants.

The research indicates two important points regarding reseeding grasses following wildfire:

  • This management practice is usually not cost-effective
  • It appears to create more problems than it solves

Potential negative effects of this practice include:

  • Seeds of invasive annual grasses like wild oats, ryegrass, and bromes develop shallow root systems that have little to no effect on slope stability
  • Seeding provides marginal effects/results in the first year following fire or not at all and no significant effect when slower native perennials are the plant of choice in the first year
  • Seeding uses up more ground moisture and reduces regrowth of native plants that regenerate from resident seed bank in the soil
  • Native grass seeding may cause gene pollution of resident native grasses especially if the grasses sowed were of a different gene type and collected in other areas of the state
  • Seeding may have long-term negative effects on the ecosystem by changing plant community composition over time
  • Seeding can attract pocket gophers leading to more opportunities for soil piping, a situation in which runoff and/or water-saturated soil enters gopher holes and erodes the soil below the ground
  • Seedbed preparation can cause disturbance to slopes, soil, pre-existing vegetation, and the surrounding seedbank
  • Seeding can give property owners a false sense of security that this one practice will mitigate most post-fire land issues

Seeding is no longer the recommended practice following a wildfire. However, many experts also agree that for specific erosion control problems, it may be necessary to seed native perennial grass to mitigate these issues.

MMG Seed Photo 2

Potential positive effects of seeding grasses:

  • Native or sterile non-native grasses can reduce non-native invasive plant encroachment by competition
  • Seeding can increase infiltration and reduce surface runoff and resulting soil erosion
  • Seeding may be used purposely to reduce shrub regrowth on range and pasture lands

Before you decide to plant grass seed on wildfire damaged soil and slopes, reach out to Natural Resources Conservation Services (NCRS) for a site-specific evaluation of your post- fire property needs:

Natural Resources Conservation Services – (209) 966-3431 www.nrcs.usda.gov.wps.portal.nrcs/site/ca/home

There are distinct reasons that may be addressed by seeding, but in general natural regeneration is the best option. Remember, lands have recovered many times after wildfires. Once human-made debris is removed, in most cases the land will heal on its own. It just takes time!

To seed or not to seed? In most cases the answer is not to seed. Next: YOU can help prevent wildfire spread.

Related:

Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 3

Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 2

Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery

For assistance, contact our Helpline at (209) 966-7078 or at mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu. We are currently unable to take samples or meet with you in person but welcome pictures.

The U.C. Master Gardener Helpline is staffed; Tuesdays from 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. and Thursdays from 2:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Clients may bring samples to the Agricultural Extension Office located at the Mariposa Fairgrounds, but the Master Gardener office is not open to the public. We will not be doing home visits this year due to UCANR restrictions.

Serving Mariposa County, including Greeley Hill, Coulterville, and Don Pedro
Please contact the helpline, or leave a message by phone at: (209) 966-7078
By email (send photos and questions for researched answers) to: mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu

For further gardening information and event announcements, please visit: UCMG website: https://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener
Follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/mariposamastergardeners

Master Gardener Office Location:
UC Cooperative Extension Office,
5009 Fairgrounds Road
Mariposa, CA 95338

Phone: (209) 966-2417
Email: mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu
Website: http://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener

Visit the YouTube channel at UCCE Mariposa.

 

 

 

 

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