us forest service – Cal OES Newsroom

An Inside Look At the Modoc July Complex Fire

Bryan May Aug 11, 2017 3:07 pm

Lightning activity caused 104 wildfires on the Modoc National Forest beginning July 23, 2017. Two days later the Modoc July Complex Fire had a name and the attention of firefighters up and down the state of California and across the nation.

Covering over 83,000 acres, the Modoc July Complex Fire proved challenging in many ways for fire crews. Rough terrain and unusual weather patterns kept the over 2,300 firefighters on high alert trying to suppress and contain the fire.

Cal OES spent a week chronicling the efforts both on the fire lines and inside the Command Incident Post to bring you an Inside Look at the Modoc July Complex Fire.

You can view our video on OESNews.com or on our Cal OES YouTube channel or … continue reading »

Tags: California Interagency Incident Management, Modoc, Modoc County, modoc july complex, modoc july complex fire, us forest service

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The Number Of Dead Trees In California Will Shock You

Bryan May Jun 26, 2017 4:48 pm

California is now home to an estimated 102 million dead trees, a number shocking to even the most trained eyes.

“We’ve never experienced anything like this in California,” said Jeffrey Moore, an 18 year veteran of the US Forest Service.

“I never thought there would be a drought to this extent,” Moore said. “This drought has really pushed them over the edge and now the bark beetle population is taking advantage of trees that have been weakened by these multiple years of drought and just finishing them off.”

Moore and his team from the US Forest Service are spending the Summer crisscrossing the state doing tree mortality surveys from the air. What they are seeing is large areas where dead trees outnumber live ones.

“Probably 70 to 80 percent of the whole mortality situation last year was mapped in … continue reading »

Tags: Bark Beetle, Jeffrey Moore, Sierra Nevada, TMTF, Tree Mortality Task Force, us forest service

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River Safety During Peak Flows Throughout California

Shawn Boyd Jun 26, 2017 3:27 pm

Record snowfall in the higher elevations this past season is melting and as a result rivers around California are flowing faster, harder and colder than they ever have. Many of these rivers run through national forests, and that’s where rangers are asking visitors to be very careful, especially after recent deaths. Danger lurks and could lead to tragedy should you and your family let down your guard.