Winter 1997 Conservation Almanac Newsletter, Trinity County Resource Conservation District

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I II I t could be started by anything--a lightning strike on a hillside, acigarette casually thrown from a vehicle, the spark from a backfiring tractor--but once it gets started it may rage frantically and uncontrollably throughbrush, forest and property alike. Several land owners in Hayfork realizedtheir danger and decided to take the Trinity County Resource ConservationDistrict (RCD) up on their offer to participate in a demonstration project toreduce the risk of fire by clearing underbrush and thinning trees--a process known as “fuels reduction”--along

roads and near buildings on their properties.

The TCRCD garnered fundsavailable through a cost-sharingarrangement with the AgriculturalConservation Program (a part of the FarmServices Agency) and workedcooperatively with Community GeographicInformation Service, US Forest Service,California Department of Forestry and Fire

(Continued on page 2

Fuels Reduction in Hayfork Valley

Conservation AlmanacConservation AlmanacConservation AlmanacConservation AlmanacTrinity County Resource Conservation District

Winter 1996-1997 Vol. VI No.

Fuels reduction creates a Park-like

look to forested property.

Inside This Issue:

Home Fire Protection 2

Weaverville Basin Trails. 3

Indian Creek Restoration 4

No-Till Demonstration 5

Trinity ”Ag‘ Forum 6

Long-Range Plan for GVC Planting 6

Seed Collection 6

RCD on the Net 7

Meet the RCD Board 7

Fire!

Since the 1960’s, attitudes about fire have shiftedSince the 1960’s, attitudes about fire have shiftedSince the 1960’s, attitudes about fire have shiftedSince the 1960’s, attitudes about fire have shifted

from viewing fires as an external destructive forcefrom viewing fires as an external destructive forcefrom viewing fires as an external destructive forcefrom viewing fires as an external destructive force

to recognition that it is partto recognition that it is partto recognition that it is partto recognition that it is part (Continued on Pg. 5)



Trinity County Resource Conservation District Winter 1996-199

within the defensible space to a

height of 10 feet above the

ground. Also, remove shrubs,

small trees, or other potential

“ladder” fuels from beneath large

trees; left in place these can carry

a ground fire into tree crowns.

8. Trim branches which

extend over the eaves of your roof

remove branches within 15 feet of

a chimney. 9. Clean roof and gutters

of pine needles and leaves to

eliminate an ignition source for

firebrands, especially during the

hot, dry weather of the fire season

10. Reduce intensity of

surrounding forest at least 100

feet out from homesite (it is

preferable to thin your entire lot).

Thin trees so crowns do not touch

each other.

Home Fire Protection

It is important to create a

defensible space around houses on

forested homesites. Fire hazard

can be reduced if you follow thethese safety guidelines:

1. Create a 30-foot buffer

zone around the house by thinning

trees and brush cover to

acceptable levels. Adequate

thinning is when the outer edges of

tree crowns are at least 10 to 12

feet apart. Occasional clumps of 2

or 3 trees are permitted for

aesthetic reasons if more space

surrounds them. Small patches of brush or shrubs may be left if they

are separated by at least 10 feet of

irrigated grass or noncombustable

material. If your home is on a

slope, enlarge the defensible space,

especially on the downhill side. If

it is located at the crest of a steep

hill, thin fuels at least 100 feet

Fuels (Continued from page 1)

Protection (CDF), and theWatershed Center in Hayfork tobegin work on eight adjacentproperties along Hyampom road inHayfork.

The “natural” look of denseundergrowth and dark, tangledmasses of bushes and trees is

really quite un-natural. It is onlyrecently that aggressive fire-suppression campaigns gave fire abad name and made it the forest’sdeadliest foe. In actuality, naturallyoccurring fires can be a friend toforest habitat, and NativeAmericans have long viewed fireas a forest-friendly tool for reducing the risk of catastrophicfires, for regenerating certainconifers, and restoring nutrients to

the soil. Ironically, the risk of disastrous fires has increased inthe wake of fire-suppression effortsof the last thirty years or so. Thisyear’s major fires in both Northern

below the crest.

2. Dispose of all slash and

debris left from thinning. Common

disposal methods are a. lop and scatter

(cut debris into small pieces and

disperse over area to acceleratedecomposition); b. pile and burn (only

when moisture is sufficient to prevent

fire spread); and c. chipping.

3. Remove dead limbs, leaves,

and other ground litter within the

defensible space.

4. Stack firewood uphill and at

least 15 feet from your home.

5. Maintain an irrigated

greenbelt immediately around your

home using grass, flower gardens, or

ornamental shrubbery. An alternativeis rock or other noncombustable

material; avoid bark or wood chip

mulch in this area.

6. Mow dry grasses and weeds

to a height of 2 inches or less and keep

them well watered, especially during

periods of high fire danger.

7. Prune branches from trees

and Southern California bear witness to this fact.

Fuels reduction is seen asa safe alternative to controlledburning, which, as in the raging1996 Montana fires, can get out of hand and lead to uncontrolled,catastrophic burning over largeareas. Fuels reduction addressesthe problem of fire “ladders” (denseunderbrush and lower tree limbs)without the risk of sparking wildfire.

It is labor-intensive,however. A crew of five TCRCDemployees worked for nearly amonth in the dense undergrowthalong Hyampom road, sawinglimbs, clearing manzanita, thinningtrees and running cut materialthrough a “chipper” to turn the cutbranches into mulch. Butlandowners and others seriouslyinterested in reducing the risk of fire in the area agree it was wellworth the effort.

Once work got underway

on one property interest spread likwildfire among neighbors of ChucGeorge, who signed on early in thproject. Residents agree that notonly are they safer from the risk ofire, but the clearing of underbrushand debris gives their properties anew, park-like atmosphere: viewsof tangled undergrowth have turne

to clear views up hillsides andthrough trees where one can catca glimpse of Don and MaryAnnCoon’s beautiful white alpine-stylehome festooned with balustrades,birdfeeders, and curving walkways

The TCRCD will continuespreading the news about fuelsreduction and in February expectsto begin work on other Hayforkproperty with a CDF Stewardshipgrant.This grant is a cost-sharing

program and landowners will beexpected to contribute at least 25% of the total cost of doing thework.




Weaverville BasinTrail System

T his fall, the WeavervilleBasin Trail CommitteeChairman, Scott

Morris, requested the TrinityCounty Resource ConservationDistrict (RCD) to be the leadagency to help the Trail Committeefulfill its goal of creating a basin-wide trail system. The RCD hasagreed to adopt this community-development project and tofacilitate funding and trail

maintenance. The Trail Committeenow functions as a sub-committeeof the RCD Board of Directors.Members of the volunteer Committee have been working for more than ten years to designateapproximately 40 miles of trail,complete an EnvironmentalAssessment with the ForestService, and include thepreliminary trail system map in theTrinity County General Plan. The

Weaverville Community Plan isbeing amended to accuratelyreflect the trail system and toprotect it as developmentprogresses in the basin.

The Trail Committeesubmitted a Community EconomicRevitalization Team (CERT)proposal for funds to develop a

Master Plan for the System andfor trailmaintenance anddevelopment.The proposal wasprepared by theResource

Conservation &DevelopmentCoordinator,Scott Eberly, withassistance from

members of theTrail Committee.

TheWeaverville Basin Trail system isunique because of the manyopportunities that exist for interpretation of historical sites and

natural features, and itincorporates the overall historictheme of the community. TheRCD supports the effort tocomplete a “Trail Through Time”to be enjoyed by the localcommunity and tourists interestedin hiking, biking, horseback riding,and sightseeing. The trail systemwill provide users with a sense of wilderness adventure but also offer hot showers, good meals, and

comfortable accommodations atthe end of the day. This in turn willprovide much needed revenue tothe community as well as localbusinesses, which have been hardhit by changes in the timber-basedeconomy.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between theRCD and the Forest Service--theprimary landowner of the trailsystem--was recently signed by the

Shasta-Trinity Forest Supervisor,Sharon Heywood, and the RCDChairman of the Board of Directors, Gregory Lowden. Thepurpose of the MOU is to provide aframework for cooperationbetween parties in support of thetrail system. Construction andmaintenance of the trail willenhance the recreation experience

of area hikers, mountain bikers,equestrians, and, to a limitedextent, Off-Road Vehicles(ORV’s).

One of the efforts currentlybeing made by the TrailCommittee is to educate localORV users about the sections of

trail that are off-limit to motorizedvehicles. In a letter to the editor ofthe Trinity Journal, the Committeepointed out that in order to obtainaccess on private lands within thesystem, permission was grantedin many cases only if motorizeduse was not to occur. Manylocations still exist in the basin forORV use, but in order to maintaintrail access for a majority of usersit is critical that the trail

designations be followed. Thevolunteer Committee invites ORVusers to participate indevelopment of the trail system sothat all uses can be effectivelyplanned.

Caltrans has donated apickup-truck load of treated woodposts for use as trail signs for theproject. Boy Scout Troop No. 15is assisting in making the signs aspart of their effort to earn Eagle

Scout Merit badges.This project is now acooperative effort, with manyinterested people helping to movethis project forward. Other ideasabout getting communitymembers even more involvedinclude: having a logo contest for the Trail System by local artists,developing an Adopt-A-Trailsystem, and organizing a"Volksmarch"--a thematic

fundraising walk-- as a means of generating funds for the trailsystem. The Trail Committeemeets every second Wednesdayof the month at 7pm at #3Horseshoe Lane in Weaverville.Everyone interested in theWeaverville Trail System iswelcome and encouraged toattend.

The original Weaverville Basin Trail Committee on the bridge at

East Weaver Creek Campground.




Restoration WorkRestoration WorkRestoration WorkRestoration Work

Begins onBegins onBegins onBegins on

Indian CreekIndian CreekIndian CreekIndian Creek

W WW W ork began in September

on a stream restoration project onIndian Creek. The stream reachbetween Mule Gulch and FrietasGulch has never recovered fromhydraulic mining disturbance, whichoccurred in the early days of TrinityCounty settlement. The disturbedchannel was unstable, poorlyvegetated and had intermittent flowsin the late summer season. Beforethe mining disturbance, Indian Creekwas an important part of Trinity

County’s productive anadromousfishery supporting abundant salmonand steelhead populations. Streamchannel conditions restrictedmigration, spawning and rearing of this valuable fish resource.

Those cooperating in theproject include the Bureau of LandManagement, the lead agency, theNatural Resources ConservationService, the Trinity County ResourceConservation District (RCD), andprivate land owners. Project

participants hope to improve the long-term health of the stream for the fishand stop extensive bank erosioncaused by frequent stream-coursechanges. The project seeks to createa stable stream channel that willimprove flow and habitat conditionsthroughout the year.

Survey crews at the site weresurprised to discover hundreds of young fish (mostly steelhead)surviving in the creek, indicating thestream is still an active spawning and

rearing site for anadromous fish.These fish are at risk due todiminished surface flow, elevatedwater temperatures, and a lack of cover. Fish in the immediate projectarea were captured and relocatedwithin Indian Creek.

Initial work on the creekutilized heavy equipment to constructa channel along a course interpretedfrom historic photos. Ron’s Backhoe

Excavating of Hayfork and Manning

Construction of Redding wereawarded the construction contracts.Such projects coordinated by the RCDfrequently utilize local businessessuch as Ron’s Backhoe, contributingto the health of the local economy aswell.

By early October, the workcrews had finished the new streamchannel architecture, and some of thewater from the creek that had beendiverted was allowed into the newchannel to begin replenishing the

ground with water. Once the newstream course is firmly established,crews will plant willows, alders,cottonwoods, and other riparianspecies to revegetate the area andcreate a functional riparian zone.Healthy vegetation on stream banksprovides shade to keep the water coolfor the fish, establishes root structureto prevent erosion, and trapssediment.

It is hoped that such effortswill create improved habitat for the

fish, as well as decrease erosion anddeposition of sediment in the mainstem of the Trinity River downstreamfrom the site. Future monitoring of thephysical habitat of the creek and itsanadromous fish populations willdetermine if the project is achievingthe desired effect.

RCD crew `rescues steelhead and salmon before restoration work begins.

Trinity Agriculture Forum

The Trinity County “Ag” forum is acoalition of farmers, ranchers, andother property owners interested indeveloping new agriculturalstrategies for Trinity County farm-and ranchland. The main interestof the group is building relationshipsamong group members, which alsoinclude employees of localgovernment agencies such as theNatural Resources ConservationService, The ResourceConservation and DevelopmentCouncil, and the ResourceConservation District. The monthlymeetings serve as a forum for building trust between members,sharing information on newagricultural products and strategiesand finding out what others aredoing. The group plans to sponsor a workshop on viticulture (grapegrowing), one of the newagricultural items sparking interestin Trinity County, early in 1997. Foinformation on Ag Forum meetingsand other events, contact ScottEberly at 623-2009.




No-Till Drill

Demonstration Day

T TT T he Trinity CountyResource Conservation District(RCD) and UC Cooperativeextension hosted a no-till drilldemonstration day at the DickJesse Ranch in Hayfork onOctober 26th. The event waswell attended and includedfarmers from Hyampom and VanDuzen Village. During the courseof the day, the features of theRCD’s no-till drill were explainedand a 10-acre field was seededwith a mixture of irrigated pasturegrasses and legumes. TrinityCounty’s UC CooperativeExtension Livestock Advisor,Larry Forero, was there to explainhow to calibrate the drill for correct seeding depth andseeding rate. The group seemedto be fascinated with the ease of which the drill was able to cutthrough the existing pasturegrasses and deposit and cover seed in one passing. In fact, itwas difficult to see any soildisturbance at all. Some farmersexpressed interest in renting thedrill to seed cover crops andothers are looking forward todrilling clovers and other legumeinto their existing pastures. CarolJoroski, NRCS Conservationist, isinterested in the drill’s potentialuse to seed starthistle-infestedareas.

The drill is stored at theTrinity County Fairgrounds andwill be administered by thefairground manager, Jerry Fulton.Mr. Fulton anticipates there to bea fair amount of use of the drilland said that “three people havecalled me already about rentingthe drill and I expect there to bemore.”

Fire! (Continued from page 1)

of many ecosystems. This in turnhas led to a shift in managementpolicies away from total firesuppression to strategies in whichfire is an important managementtool.

Total fire suppression doesnot prevent wildfires; in fact, itmakes matters worse. Fires are anatural feature of mountainenvironments and frequent burning

prevents the long-term destructionby wildfires at some later time. Inthe primitive forests of California,crown-fires were rare whereasfrequent ground fires of lowintensity, ignited by NativeAmericans were a commonfeature. California’s primitiveforests were kept open and park-like by frequent surface fires set by

lightening and byNative Americans.The forests were ina stable equilibriumimmune toextensive crownfires.

The problem

of wildfires is relateto the large andunnaturalaccumulations of fuel with the resultthat crown-fires of catastrophicproportions develoand the succession

pattern which follows is markedlydifferent from that which followslight burns. Wildfires have often

caused the development of brushfields with almost totallydegraded forests, the process of recovery to a mixed coniferousforest being greatly impaired.

In forestry, the mainpurpose of prescribed burning is toenhance the production of growthof certain trees, by manipulating thmajor environmental factors thatinfluence reproduction and growthlight, temperature, water and

mineral nutrients. Fire reducesbrush cover to favor a parkland of grasses, trees and intermittentstands of brush. The general effeof fire is to check succession,reduce competition, remove agedand diseased trees, increase plantand animal activity, and improvethe flow of springs by maintaining sub-climax condition. Frequent firis the agent of soil regeneration,releasing the nutrients from plant

tissue and recycling them into newbiomass.Fire has even influenced

the evolution of various species othe forests, grasslands, and xeric(dry) shrub communities inmediterranean climate regions of the world such as thosecharacteristic of California.

There is a $75.00-a-day rental feefor the drill. In addition, it is

recommended that the drill bepulled with a 45-hp tractor withexternal hydraulics. On flat landwith loamy soils, however, it isexpected that a 35-hp tractor withhydraulics could pull the drill. If youare interested in renting the no-tilldrill, please callJerry Fulton at 628-5223.

Dave Copeland Pulls the No-Till Drill at the Demonstration




Grass Valley Creek Watershed Revegetation Plan

I II I n a cooperative effortbetween the Bureau of LandManagemen t (BLM) andResource Conservation District

(RCD), a 10-year revegetationplan has recently been completedfor the Grass Valley Creekwatershed. The main objective of the plan is to detail a large-scalerestoration effort to improve foresthealth within the watershed.

In order to meet thisobjective, the plan includes four components: the first provides as u m m a r y o f e c o l o g i c a linformation pertinent for making

a p p r o p r i a t e r e v e g e t a t i o nprescriptions. This sectiona n a l y z e s s o i l s , p l a n tcommunities, plant genetics,precipitation, and overall foresthealth. The second sectiondetails (on a yearly basis) specificareas of the watershed to bereforested, with the goal of increasing vegetative cover toreduce sediment loss from thewatershed. This section also

provides general guidelines for plant species and quantitiesneeded for each year and area of restoration work, with an overallgoal of planting 70-100 acres per year. The emphasis will be onplanting conifers, such asponderosa, sugar, and Jeffreypines, as well as white andDouglas firs.

A third component of theplan includes a long-term

monitoring program to collectdata on the revegetationtreatments already being used in

RCD Seed Collection

F FF F rom June until October of 1996, the Trinity County ResourceConservation District (RCD)conducted an extensive seedcollection. The goal of the collectionwas to collect plants specific to theGrass Valley Creek (GVC)watershed in order to develop aseed bank to be drawn on over the

next several years. Due to theuniquely harsh soil of the GVCwatershed, and the need to keep

plantings specific to site conditionthe RCD collected seed from plangrowing only in the watershed. Alarge amount of native grasses,forbs, and shrubs were collected

The RCD began collectingseeds in 1994 with a conifer conecollection. After collection, thecones were sent off to be cleaned

processed, and stored. After cleaning, many of the conifer seewere sent to nurseries for propagation--including TsemtaForest Nursery in Hoopa andHumboldt Nursery inMcKinnleyville. The resultingponderosa, Jeffrey, and sugar pines, as well as incense cedar,were planted in the spring of 199

Likewise, many of the shrspecies--primarily ceanothus--ha

been sent off for propagation andwill be planted in the fall of 1997and/or the spring of 1998.Because grasses and shrubs arean important component of arecovering forest, the RCD hasbeen supplementing conifer stockwith many different species.Among those collected to beplanted are species of manzanitaceonothus, rabbittbrush, lupine,needlegrass, and fescue.

In addition to havingnurseries propagate plants, theRCD has created a mini-nursery its own: in October, approximatel15,000 tubes with native grassseed, consisting of seven differenspecies, were sown. Some of these plants will be ready for planting this spring, depending onthe species, and in the future theRCD may grow forbs or shrubs.With a good stock of seeds in

storage and a large amount of species planted, the RCD hasmade an investment that maycreate a healthier forest in thefuture.

Seed drying in hand-made bins during

summer seed collection.

the watershed. A fourth componentof the plan concerns theexperimental field studies that willbe used to evaluate newrevegetation techniques beforethey are utilized on a large scalethroughout the watershed.

For further information or a




riparian forest-land owner andresident, a husband, and a father.

ROSE OWENS has been aresident of Hayfork since April of 1946. She graduated from TrinityHigh School in 1952. She had beena school employee for 24 years and10 months,first as a bus driver for 14

years and then as BusinessAssistant for the Trinity CountyOffice of Education She retired inOctober of 1996. She has workedfor the Trinity County Fair for about10 years during summers, whendriving school buses. Her familyowned and operated a sawmill andlogging company and moved toHayfork in 1946. Her husbandLonnie is a retired lumber grader and they have three children and

seven grandchildren. Together theyhave raised horses and cattle andare very much interested in both thelumber and ranching industries aswell as a common-sense approachto managing our natural resources.She currently serves on the RCDBoard of Directors and the TrinityCounty Public Utilities District Board.She is a member of CaliforniaWomen in Timber and past VicePresident of the Trinity Chapter.

She also represents the PublicUtilities District on the ResourceConservation and DevelopmentCouncil.

PATRICK TRUMAN iscurrently coordinator for the SouthFork of the Trinity River CoordinatedResource Management Planningeffort; Vice Chair of the RCD Boardof Directors; Chairman of theSalmon Restoration Task Force of the California Association of

Resource Conservation Districts;member of the Pacific FisheriesEnhancement Committee for Oregon, Washington, Idaho andCalifornia; member CollaborativeLearning Circle of southern Oregonand northern California; member of Citizens for Better Forestry of northern California and member of

Access the RCD on the Ne

For all the environmentally

concerned WWWeb crawlers out

there, the Trinity County Resource

Conservation District (TCRCD) no

has a Home Page on the Internet.

provides the latest information on t

TCRCD’s current projects, the past

year’s work, and our plans for thefuture. You will also be able to find

out about our Board of Directors,

Staff, descriptions of our conservati

practices and techniques, electronic

informational brochures for land

owners, and links to other

conservation-related web sites. Eve

this Newsletter (with scanned color

photographs) can now be found

online.

The TCRCD Home Page wdesigned to inform the public on al

aspects of our efforts here in Trinit

County. Pay us a visit.

Our address is:

http: //www.snowcrest.net/

tcrcd/index.htm .

We hope you find it useful!

the North Lake CommunityAdvisory Committee to update theLand Use Element of the GeneralPlan. Patrick has been anExecutive Director for seven yearof the Human Response Networka non-profit social service agencywilderness resource managemen

technician with the Forest Servicefor nine years; a fisheriesrestoration technician; cadastralsurvey member; electronicengineering technician; Chair andBoard Member of the Far NortherRegional Center; Trinity Center School Board of Trustees membeand Trinity County Private IndustrCouncil member.

Meet the RCD Board of Directors

GREGORY LOWDEN hasbeen a resident of Weavervillesince 1967. He graduated fromTrinity High School in 1969. After atour of duty with the U.S. Army, he

attended Shasta Junior College inRedding, graduating with an AAdegree in history in 1974. He hasbeen employed as a surveyor withHunt Land Surveying, Inc., since1978. He served as a member of the board of directors of theWeaverville-Douglas City Parks andRecreation District from 1989 to1995. He has served on the TrinityCounty Resource ConservationDistrict (RCD) board of directors

since 1992, the last two years asBoard Chairman. Active incommunity affairs, he is a member of the Weaverville Lion’s Club andthe Weaverville Basin TrailsCommittee. He finds his role as anRCD director to be both challengingand rewarding.

DOUG NOWACKI is aretired entrepreneur with a longhistory of successful creativeenterprises. He holds a Bachelor of

Science in Marketing from IndianaState University, 1973. He hasserved on the board of trustees of American Herbal ProductsAssociation, 1990-93. He is alifetime member of SafeAlternatives for Our ForestEnvironment and Citizens for Better Forestry, a member of theRainforest Action Network, NatureConservancy, League of Conservation Voters,the Sierra

Club, and Amnesty International.Besides being on the board of theRCD, Mr. Nowacki is currentlyserving on the Board of Directors of the Trinity County Arts Council, andrepresenting county-basedenvironmental organizations onTrinity County General Plan PolicyAdvisory Committee. He is a

Winter 1997 Conservation Almanac Newsletter, Trinity County Resource Conservation District

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