Yosemite old fire question
Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:08 am
Hi all,
I just returned from a trip just north of Tuolumne Meadows.
Smoke report: It wasn't too bad most days (Sept. 29 - Oct.4) Some smokey smell most afternoons. Red sun at sunset at upper Youngs Lake on Oct. 1. Question: While bushwhacking in the area near the confluence of the outlet creek of Youngs Lake and the outlet of Roosevelt lake (Conness Creek) - and the area west of there. We saw many sawed off stumps, often the tree trunk was laying adjacent to the stump. These were very old, just guessing about 100 years. Sometimes the stump or trunk was charred. In a few cases the tree trunk has been cut into approximately 6 foot logs and rolled a short distance. In a few cases the trunk couldn't be found. We were simply traveling in a roughly straight line west from the confluence until following the outlet of Youngs Lake almost due south. Over about 1 mile we saw 30 stumps. If our path passed these stumps randomly there would be thousands of stumps in the few square mile area.
Any idea what that was about? The terrain is very rugged. Its now a very dense Ponderosa Pine forest, near Youngs Lake there are a few Red Fir groves. Our speculation was a fire break was being created when the forest was less dense. I've found no source old fire information for this area. While there were old charred logs and wood on the ground, quite sparse, it doesn't in any way look like a fire scarred landscape.
-mort
I just returned from a trip just north of Tuolumne Meadows.
Smoke report: It wasn't too bad most days (Sept. 29 - Oct.4) Some smokey smell most afternoons. Red sun at sunset at upper Youngs Lake on Oct. 1. Question: While bushwhacking in the area near the confluence of the outlet creek of Youngs Lake and the outlet of Roosevelt lake (Conness Creek) - and the area west of there. We saw many sawed off stumps, often the tree trunk was laying adjacent to the stump. These were very old, just guessing about 100 years. Sometimes the stump or trunk was charred. In a few cases the tree trunk has been cut into approximately 6 foot logs and rolled a short distance. In a few cases the trunk couldn't be found. We were simply traveling in a roughly straight line west from the confluence until following the outlet of Youngs Lake almost due south. Over about 1 mile we saw 30 stumps. If our path passed these stumps randomly there would be thousands of stumps in the few square mile area.
Any idea what that was about? The terrain is very rugged. Its now a very dense Ponderosa Pine forest, near Youngs Lake there are a few Red Fir groves. Our speculation was a fire break was being created when the forest was less dense. I've found no source old fire information for this area. While there were old charred logs and wood on the ground, quite sparse, it doesn't in any way look like a fire scarred landscape.
-mort