Eleven years ago, almost 100,000 acres of forest burned in the American River watershed, according to the Placer County Water Agency. Now, that land is being improved — not only restored with new trees, but also engineered and maintained in such a way as to prevent future disastrous fires from affecting the land and the waters below ever again.
The King Fire in 2014 didn't just burn down the forest. It also knocked 300,000 tons of soil loose from hillsides and sent it flowing down the Rubicon River, and from there to the Middle Fork American River, traveling over 30 miles. All that sediment affected communities and wildlife downstream, causing major knock-on effects long after the fire.
The French Meadows Forest Restoration Project, which began with planning in 2016, seeks to restore a crucial 28,000 acres of land that will protect these waters from future deposits of sediment due to wildfires. It includes 7,000 acres of prescribed burning and 6,000 acres of ecologically based thinning to reduce fire risk, plus 1,600 acres of management on private land.
The benefits of this approach are many.
First of all, the risk of an intense, disastrous wildfire like the one from 2014 will be all but eliminated in the managed area. (Similar tactics have been employed in other areas to reduce the risk of destructive wildfires.) Even if a fire breaks out, it will be less intense, more contained, and leave many of the established trees alive. Maps of the area show the historical risk and the risk today.
At the same time, the forest will also be more resilient to other stressors, including insect infestations, disease outbreaks, and the effects of rising temperatures. Water will be more abundant, and the area will be less vulnerable to drought. The habitats of fish and animals are being restored, carbon air pollution is being stored in the trunks of trees that are growing back, soil is being held in place by the new growth — and, of course, the newly grown forest provides recreation opportunities for people as well, such as trails for hiking.
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All these benefits are the natural result of humanity's taking an interest in caring for the environment.
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