Restoring the land after the Pendola Fire

The Pendola Fire burned fast and hard that Saturday night in October, 1999. After two days, dozens of landowners were burned out and over 11,000 acres of forestland destroyed.

But that's just the beginning of the story. The community immediately turned to restoration and, within a few weeks, applications for CFIP (California Forest Improvement Program) cost share funds began to come in.

"We've been impressed with the aggresive manner in which people are reforesting their land," noted Gary Brittner, who manages CFIP for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) for the Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit. "This is high-quality land and reforestation after a fire is an important priority."

The effort to start the restoration work has involved landowners, registered professional foresters (RPFs), and government agencies such as CDF. In addition to CFIP, other emergency funds such as FIP (Forestry Improvement Program) are available to landowners who have been affected by fire.

The Pendola Fire was located between Dobbins and Camptonville in Yuba County, near Bullard Bar Reservoir. Besides timber production, this is an area highly valued for its beauty and recreational amenities.

Diane Pendola has lived on her 200 acres for 25 years; the fire was not part of her plans.

"It was never my intention to log this land. It's a huge loss. I'm very connected to this land and it was important to get started with restoration immediately. It's on the top of my priority list.

"Fortunately I come from a timber family who knows how to get timber out quickly. I had a lot of help." Diane talked to loggers and a professional forester right away. She also contacted Gary Brittner at CDF for assistance and was one of the first to apply for CFIP.

In order to qualify for CFIP, landowners must have a management plan prepared by a RPF. The management plan spells out the steps to be taken to restore the property. The CFIP program pays up to a certain cap amount for each forest practice.

Diane Pendola's management plan was written by Doug Smith, an RPF who has worked with the Pendola family for years. He acted quickly from a sense of urgency to "recover the values in the remaining timber and rehabilitate the land through site preparation and planting before the brush takes over."

After a fire, the first step many landowners take is salvage timber harvest. This allows the landowner to recover some financial value from the trees before they deteriorate. It also reduces the fuel hazard and helps clear the site for replanting.

Doug Smith emphasizes that after a fire people should contact CDF or UC Cooperative Extension to "get on it right away" because time is of the essense.

For Diane Pendola, salvage logging has offset the expense of the restoration work. "I look at it as the money from the timber going back to the forest."

But salvage logging was the easy part. Now comes site preparation and more difficult choices.

There are a number of ways to go about preparing the land for replanting. The decision of which method(s) to use depends on the individual situation--each is unique. Cost, goals, impact on the soil, regulations, and other factors all need to be taken into consideration. Expert advice is important here.

Doug Smith plans to make sure that the new growth is protected from fire. Part of the management plan includes steps to protect the trees from future fire.

As part of her longer-range plans, Diane Pendola wants to enhance the wildlife and riparian values of her land. Under CFIP, she is allotted a certain amount of money for these goals as well.

Diane Pendola has nothing but praise for CFIP. "Why wouldn't people want to take advantage of a program like this? Gary [Brittner] has been very helpful. Everyone's been great--loggers, foresters, CDF--they've all been nothing but helpful.

"I really appreciate that the government makes money available to private landowners for restoration. It shows vision; recognition that it's one forest, one ecosystem. It's a very wise program."