High Sierra Topix

Well, not right now. But that's the title of an excellent documentary we just watched on PBS. And it's available via streaming right here: https://www.westisburning.org/

It combines the outlook of forestry professionals, environmentalists, local communities, and loggers to tell the story of where we are right now, and what we have to do to get to where we want to be in terms of making our forests, and ultimately our communities, safer.

One of the reasons it really hit home is that much of the fire footage and some of the interviews are from people in Sonoma County, just over the hills from where we live. And we know both the people and the communities.

Despite the horrific impact of fires over the past few years, this film has actually given us a little hope that we might be able to turn this whole thing around. And that's a very nice feeling.

I sure hope we aren't going to burn this Summer. Might ruin a good Fall season.

From your lips to God's ear, Russ

KCRB in Santa Rosa is showing it at 8 o'clock tonight....if you're in that area.

I heard that Mendicino and another county up there are now declared drought emergencies. We just came back yesterday from the coast and the area from Mendicino Lake to Clear Lake is really dry. The docks on the lakes are high above the water level. Monday there was a fire on the road from Willits to Ft Bragg. The coast ranges seems to be unusually dry this year.

Marin is the other drought county

My daughter lives in San Anselmo and she said the reservoirs are nearly empty. It is a little bit self-inflicted as they sold some water for some salmon restoration project- probably not the best timing. Going up I-5 the fields also looked really dry. I hope they get a bit of rain later today and tomorrow.

Looking at the YTD fire figures for California.
5 year average acres YTD is 2870
2020 YTD acres 1166
2021 YTD acres 3531.

2020 was below acres and # of fires until the August lightning storm. That one storm (and the dry cold front/wind event that followed it) made the year record setting. As you can see, 2021 is well ahead of last year already.

If you want to read the analysis for May to August:
https://gacc.nifc.gov/oncc/predictive/o ... k_NOps.pdf

This drought is gonna screw September.. Again.. Might have to do Trinity if it doesn't burn.

If it gets bad here, I am headed to Wyoming. They got snow yesterday. Snowpack is looking normal, had been very cold winter, and forecast to be about average precipitation and temperatures for the summer. Last year when I was there, even though no local fires, a few days had smoke blown in from California fires.