After the fire

[HH8]

I put together alot of info about recovery from wildfires,

I would not have found that without your help. thanks

Beware the frumious poodlebush, my son.

[Stoneman1]

Good job on the links arocknoid!

I have read some reports that seedlings planted on Cuyamaca were dying.

I have been watching a proposal by the US Forest service called "Mount Laguna and Pine Valley Community Protection and Healthy Forest Restoration Project".
http://a123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/ab ... 138398.pdf

The scope is fuel reduction, non-native plant removal and control burns to restore balance back to the forest over a period of many years. Mount Laguna as well as all Southern Cal mountains have been fire suppressed for way to long. This looking like the new trend for forest management.

I could see how a similar project might be in store for San Jacinto and Idllywild in the future. San Jacinto will be getting a lot of attention from the state and feds now that there was a big fire.

[cynthia23]

I don't know if anyone saw this morning's Desert Sun article on the fire yet--I'm hoping somebody here can post it for me Anyway, the gist of it contains a bit of odd but perversely good news. It seems that the guy who owns the property where the fire originated is a wealthy Saudi Arabian (!), who runs a big engineering firm back in SA, who was having a big party the night before the fire, according to neighbors. If it WAS his negligence that caused the fire, and that can be proven .... then, for the first time in the history of the world, a person who caused a wild fire actually has some money to pay for it. I'm not saying the guy is guilty--I'll leave that to the fire investigators--and not saying he has the entire 20 million which the fire cost, but sounds like he at least has a good chunk of change. Hope the authorities have moved to freeze his US assets. Because leaving aside--as if one could--the damage to the wilderness, let's not forget that this fire also caused economic damage to a county and state that can ill afford it. And the 20 million doesn't even cover all the economic cost to the people and businesses of Idyllwild.

[Fred]

http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130724/NEWS0803/307240029/Mountain-Center-origin-Tarek-Al-Shawaf-property-owner?gcheck=1

[cynthia23]

Thanks Fred!

[Ulysses]

Anybody have any pictures or memories of what the area around Apache Peak looked like prior to the 2008 fire that burned through that area? Were many conifers lost in that fire?

[Hikin_Jim]

Well, lets hold off on the hanging party just yet.

HJ

[Florian]

Anybody have any pictures or memories of what the area around Apache Peak looked like prior to the 2008 fire that burned through that area? Were many conifers lost in that fire?

I think Apache Spring burned out in the 1981 Dry Falls fire. I camped there around 1978 and remember it being wooded. It didn't recover we'll. Not sure re 2008 fire.

-Florian

[halhiker]

I do remember some trees prior to the Apache Fire but not a lot. There was a pair of Golden Eagles that lived in a tree on the north side of the mountain before you got to the Apple Canyon Saddle while hiking north.

[recordalley]

http://www.kesq.com/news/mountain-fire- ... index.html