This is just over the hill from me, Sherlock Rd.
These neighbors are highly proactive with all agencies including the County Fire Counsel. This is not the unique story in these hills. We have permission and grants for bioplants and staging areas and everything is still at a standstill. PG&E is teamed up with a large corp for debris removal that will be turned into bio fuel. But all will thus far be shipped out to plants out side our area. One plant was approved, has a site and funds for 3 years and no ground broken yet.
A staging site has been approved and allocated for our area. But so far, I only think PG&E clearance crews and Bamford (also contracted by PG&E) will be using it. Still waiting on word whether or not us independents will have access. It would be perfect for us as it is highly central to the largest die out areas. So... Here is the last meeting. I am currently suffering a loss of 2-3 weeks worth of cancellations due to the powers that be that move as slow as molasses in January. Constant rescheduling. I have a wait list, so I fill it right back up. Well that and repairs. This work is hard on shat. Two out of 4 trucks down. One of 2 chippers down. Dingo has just been fixed AGAIN and will probably need a new engine soon. I just put in one last year I believe.
TO: Sherlock Road Neighbors
FROM: John Schroeder
SUBJECT: Status of our Tree Situation
Yesterday I attended the monthly meeting of the Mariposa County Committee on Tree Mortality. I talked to several people and got some good information. I was also hoping to talk to Nate Bamford and Len Neilson (CAL FIRE Forester), but neither was present. So here is my understanding of our current situation.
Bamford Timber Operation for Schroeder, Judkins, Tilten, Baccei, Ito, Raucina, et al
According to Jamie (Bamford’s Admin), we have been pushed out to September. In talking to folks at the meeting yesterday, I learned the following:
Bamford has a large number of jobs in his backlog, and is swamped with phone calls from people like us asking for status.
Bamford is having difficulty meeting his goal of shipping 10 truckloads of logs daily to Sacramento for barking and subsequent transfer to Port of Richmond for shipment to China
Bamford is having 20% of his logs rejected because of ‘checking’ caused by the extreme heat we have suffered this summer. So there is a time window between death of the tree and harvest during which the log is merchantable. If the logger thinks it is not, or if the log has been already taken down and been on the ground for x months, they may not take it.
Bamford has been asked to cease operations in Jerseydale because of conflict with PG&E crews – they have gotton in one another’s way. This should have been foreseen, and some mechanism for coordination worked out beforehand.
Bamford is sub-contracting with Phillips and Jordan, the company PG&E has contracted with to implement the new Debris Management Program (see below). They will run the log landing at the new P & J transfer station on East Westfall Road, and perform some of the debris removal around structures as defined by the new program.
Bamford will not deal with hazard trees close to structures
Bamford is not certified to work near power lines.
It is unclear whether Bamford has an RPF at their disposal at this point.
How all or any of the above affects our project is unknown. I suspect that if true the shortfall in logs trucked to Sacramento is causing Bamford to operate in areas where the parcels are large, the trees are many, and the pickings are easy. That isn’t us. We are relatively small, and we may be the only project they have in this vicinity (Colorado/Sherlock/Whitlock) right now. Bottom line, I have to say that the probability of the Bamford operation actually occurring is becoming questionable in my mind. Nonetheless, I hope we are pleasantly surprised, and we should keep after them.
PG&E – Hazard Tree Felling
This is a two-part program, where ACRT (PG&E’s forestry contractor) cruises the power lines 2-3 times annually to mark hazard trees, and a different contractor (Mario’s, Trees Inc., etc) shows up at an unexpected time weeks or months later to drop the trees. ACRT’s criteria for marking the trees for felling appear to be ‘half dead or worse’, and of course being close enough to the line to fall on it. This is irrespective of whether the tree is inside or outside the 20 foot power line right-of-way. There has been no way to coordinate between the contractor doing the felling and a landowner’s timber operation. The last ACRT cruise was at least three months ago, so we should be due for another one soon.
PG&E – Debris Management Program (new)
Attached is a copy of the brochure PG&E has published which defines the program. The goal of the program is to remove woody material (must be 4” in diameter and greater than 6’ long) resulting from trees felled by PG&E in 2016. The material must be within the 100 foot perimeter around permanent structures. Outbuildings don’t count. Material smaller than the minimum diameter and length don’t count. Trees that are a hazard to a structure, but are not a hazard to a power line don’t count either. The landowner must contact PG&E to get on a list for consideration. The trees should be down at the time the landowner calls.
OES Homeowners Assistance Program
This is a new program that was announced at our meeting in broad outline only with no details yet. It is aimed at homeowners without the capability of dealing with hazard trees themselves. Whether this refers to financial need or lack of understanding or both I don’t know. They have simplicity as a primary goal – a one-page application with a quick response back. More will be revealed in September.
General Constraints and Problems
Lack of one-stop shopping. We have to deal with the following four entities, with no ability to schedule or coordinate anything with respect to the first three:
PG&E cruising and felling
PG&E debris management
Bamford
Other contractors we hire individually to deal with what is left over.
No foreknowledge regarding whether ACRT will mark any particular tree as hazardous to power lines, nor when they will choose to mark a tree.
No foreknowledge regarding when ACRT will do a cruise.
Lack of equipment and personnel (licensed timber operators, fallers, climbers, equipment operators, etc.)
If Bamford falls through, or we decide to give up on it, each of us is on our own.
