Cal-Fire Project Helps Protect Mitteldorf Preserve

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The Land Trust is beginning a long-term collaboration this summer 2010 with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal-Fire) to remove dead, diseased and dying tanoak trees from Mitteldorf Preserve. Sudden Oak Death (Phytopthera ramorum), a plant disease that is devastating tree populations throughout California, can significantly increase an area’s fire hazard, as was shown during the 2008 Basin Complex Fire when large stands of tanoaks killed by SOD helped fuel the intensity and reach of the flames. At Mitteldorf, Cal-Fire Captains and labor crews will focus on removing dead and dying trees in order to manage safe access to the property’s structures and roadways.

“This is a very exciting partnership,” says Sarah Godfrey, BSLT’s Conservation Program Steward. “The generosity of Cal-Fire in helping with our resource management needs comes at a very timely moment.” Cal-Fire has conducted flights and aerial photomonitoring of Sudden Oak Death throughout the Los Padres National Forest that have confirmed the devastation of SOD in this watershed.

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“Most of our tanoaks have died within the past 5 years,” Godfrey adds. “At this point their root systems have decayed to the point at which the trees are starting to fall over. We can expect these falls to continue for the next five years, which makes this proactive approach to clearing the most hazardous trees especially important.”

SOD is not only a fire hazard, it is also a major problem for biodiversity. “The whole understory of the redwood forest is going to change because of this disease,” Godfrey says. The pathogen has been found to be most impactful to Tan Oaks, which are not “true” oaks, in addition to Coast Live Oaks which are also found on the Mitteldorf Preserve. The pathogen is hosted by many other species such as Bay Laurel and Douglas Fir trees, though they tend to not show sickness from it. SOD impacts the entire forest canopy and the plant and animal habitats that have evolved within that ecosystem. Researchers at UC Davis are currently studying SOD both in the laboratory and on the ground, in the hopes of learning more about how to reduce its spread and prevent it from infecting healthy trees. Topical treatments available to individual homeowners such as Agri-Fos, a phosphate fungicide, are not viable on a larger landscape-wide scale. For now, the best, most holistic approach is to engage in proactive “preventative care” by removing the dead and dying trees from the property. In addition to decreasing fuel load in the event of wildfire, removing the dead and dying trees will also help to prevent future incidents of erosion and sedimentation in Mitteldorf’s riparian habitats.

This project continues the Land Trust’s ongoing partnership with Cal-Fire and other organizations, such as the Santa Lucia Conservancy, that are affected by the spread of SOD. During the 2008 fires, Cal-Fire utilized the existing roads on BSLT properties that provided critical access to backcountry areas where the fire raged. By keeping them free of diseased, dead and dying trees, this collaborative project will manage and maintain these access roads as a vital community asset. As the search continues for solutions to the challenges of Sudden Oak Disease, the Land Trust’s commitment to stewardship and collaboration is our surest path forward.

You can help protect the plant and animal communities of Mitteldorf Preserve.