Cody Norris
USFS Public Affairs Officer

Planting for the 2010 field season has ended. The above average snowpack and cool weather has made for ideal conditions. The final 500 acres, part of the 2002 McNally Fire, were planted along Cherry Hill Road. Over the course of four field seasons, 2,100 acres and 405,430 seedlings were planted as part of the McNally Fire restoration. This year also began efforts to reforest lands charred by the 2008 Piute Fire. This year’s planting on the Piutes covered 1,600 acres. Another planting season in the Piutes is scheduled for next year. All together 318,000 seedlings were planted this year on two different mountaintops. “These efforts fulfill the Forest Service mission of sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of forestlands to meet the needs of future generations. This work also follows federal law, as mandated by Congress, through the National Forest Management Act of 1976,” said District Ranger Rick Larson.

Kern River Ranger District Assistant Culturist John Springer led the effort on the ground by supervising a crew contracted to plant thousands of Jeffrey pine, white fir, red fir, and sugar pine seedlings. The crew moved tirelessly through the rough landscape of thorny brush, snow-covered hillsides, and still standing snags. To ensure the survivability of the small seedlings, the crew utilizedthe advantageous four week period when the temperatures were warming but there was still somesnow on the slopes to provide much needed water for the growing seedlings. Springer’s crew plantedthe seedlings 170 per acre, although this number varied depending on terrain and tree type, and averagedaround 18,000 plants per day. These impressive numbers equated to a crew of 14 people successfully completing over 100 acres of initial reforestation each day they ventured into the field during this key time of year.

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