GOVERNOR ORDERS STATE LAWS SUSPENDED TO COMBAT BARK BEETLES, ALSO SEEKS FEDERAL AID

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: U.S. Forest Service

November 10, 2015 (Sacramento) - Governor Jerry Brown has declared an emergency in California due to a voracious pest – bark beetles that have killed 22 million trees statewide, including vast tracts of forests in San Diego’s East County.  Tens of millions more are at risk of dying if nothing is done – also raising the risk of wildfires.

The governor is seeking federal help and meanwhile has directed state officials, utilities and local governments to take 19 steps to fight the bark beetle infestation. Brown suspended several state laws to allow his orders to be carried out immediately.

Those include more controlled burns, removing dead trees that could threaten roads, power lines or other infrastructure if they fall; distributing portable equipment to cut the dead trees into wood chips for mulch, and monitoring the effectiveness of tree removals in restoring forest health. He also called for actions to convert the biomass from the dead trees into energy.

The Governor has also sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting federal aid to combat the beetles, which are thriving due to the drought that has left trees dry and vulnerable to infestation. Brown seeks money to help remove dead trees on federal lands.

With millions of trees in San Diego County and statewide being ravaged by pests and the drought, Governor Jerry Brown declared an emergency Friday and requested federal assistance in a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“Recent scientific measurements suggest that the scale of this tree die- off is unprecedented in modern history,” Brown wrote.

The goldspotted oak borer beetle alone has killed more than 40 percent of the mature oak trees in our region over the past 11 years, from Cuyamaca to Palomar Mountain.

Most bark beetles are no bigger than a grain of rice, yet the damage they yield collective is enormous. For more information, visit:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5384837.pdf