Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Major Sierra tree troubles this year

Sierra damaged by windstorm

Thunderous wind blew across much of the Sierra on Nov 30. causing widespread damage. These unusually strong northern winds gusted to more than 180 mph and stayed higher than 120 mph for more than three hours, toppling thousands of trees. We expect to find significant numbers of downed trees on the PCT next summer.

The U.S. Forest Service reports that front country sites from Red's Meadow to Whitney Portal were battered. The known damage is greatest at Red's Meadow, where as many as 10,000 trees are down. Reports are scarce from the crest. One PCTA staffer surveyed some Yosemite tread and found significant, but not startling blow down. The damage appears to be region-wide, with pockets of concentration.

Once the snow melts, it's likely to take a long time to clear and repair roads and campgrounds, not to mention the PCT. Some locations may be temporarily closed. Trail users should be aware that there might be trees with weakened root systems or that have only partially fallen. Those could fall later, so pick your routes and your campsites carefully.

We'd like to take this time to remind you of our extensive volunteer program that includes crosscut and chainsaw training and certification. Join a volunteer project or attend one of our Trail Skills Colleges. It is volunteers like you that make this work possible. Information about volunteering can be found at: pcta.org/help/volunteer.asp

A longer article about this wind event and a catalog of some of the damage can be found here: INF notice on trees

-- Jack Haskel, PCTA Trail Information Specialist

Related to this, I spent the last week in Fresno working at Lost Lake Park, where about 180 mature trees were uprooted (!), and my crew used chainsaws to cut them up for firewood under contract to the County. Astonishing to see mature oak trees literally uprooted. I cut wood for 6 consecutive days, sunrise to sunset. Definitely brushed up on my technique for the season.

120mph sustained for three hours? Good gosh.

Thanks for posting this, I'll be taking a look at volunteer page that you provided. I'd definitely be interested in doing my part.

Bill Carter from Bishop runs an annual project out of Reds Meadow from the end of June into the July 4th weekend. The crew clears most all of the trails leading out of the Reds Meadow area. I'm sure they will need any extra volunteers that are interested this year.

Thanks, Ken.
I'm doing the JMT southbound this summer, so knowing this is very helpful.

CaT

CaT, it is going to be a very odd year on the JMT. No one knows what it is like up there with deadfall right now. Below treeline, everyone thinks it is terrible. Probably nothing that hikers can't get past, but could be serious trouble for stock.

I'd be very concerned about unstable hazard trees. A forest worker was killed last year by a falling tree on her tent. There's a lot of unstable stuff, and a lot of broken-off branches still up in trees, waiting to fall.

I hope people are careful about looking up when they stop to camp or rest. It amazes me what people set up tents under.....

> I hope people are careful about looking up when they stop to camp or rest. It amazes me what people set up tents under.....

I was hiking with a friend through Yosemite, and she spoke of something similar, of a ranger warning people to watch where they camp. The topic was foreign to me, so I told her I'd never heard of that. Maybe I said it with the wrong tone in my voice, but it set her off. She took off hiking like crazy, and the rest of the group had a hard time keeping up. I think she eventually cooled down, though.

Fast forward a year or two... Talking to another camper on one of our Channel Island trips, a woman related that she was camping with a group, and in the night a limb fell from the tree overhead ...and killed the fellow sleeping right next to her!

Obviously I am a believer now!

Sounds like the woods on our farm. I'll certainly be careful.
Thanks for the report, Ken.

CaT

I once camped at Cachuma Lake. There was a huge crash in the next campsite over. We ran over there and found an approx. 20"-wide horizontal oak branch on the ground, with millions of termites zooming around in panic. The people immediately on the other side told us that the people camping directly under that limb had packed up and left 20 minutes before.

This photo was taken at the exact same campsite a few years later. The oak branch was still on the tent footprint.

Newly posted on the PCTA website for anyone that might want to go:

More info on the trees:

http://thesheetnews.com/archives/12565

Well, finally met Rogue on a trail work project, and he acquitted himself quite well on the Brushcutter.

Yeah hopefully I will see you on some more projects in the future.

If anyone is interested...

On a Windows / PC platform, pressing the Esc key stops the motion on the above image.

Works on a mac using Firefox too.