Helicopters are hoisting dead trees out of the San Bernardino National Forest to ease the danger of wildfires, a method that lessens environmental damage and allows timber removal in areas too steep for logging vehicles.
Helicopter logging started last year over 2,750 acres and is expected to continue through 2006 in areas from Lake Arrowhead to Idyllwild. The mission is to remove dead trees to create fire buffer zones around mountain communities.
"If it's too steep for a bulldozer, it's not too steep for a helicopter. Essentially it's a real useful tool to do a good job environmentally for the forest," said Bob Sommer, the forest's fuels officer who is managing the helicopter logging effort.
Superior Helicopters and Columbia Helicopters, both based in Oregon, have worked on similar projects in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Lake Tahoe and the companies said interest in helicopter logging is growing in the West.
Superior assistant general manager Andy Mills told The Press-Enterprise that a project in New Mexico and several in the Northwest are being discussed, and Columbia spokesman Dan Sweet said he expects additional jobs.
"Ultimately it could lead to a Forest Service-wide program," Sweet said. "There are so many areas in the U.S. where homes are bordering Forest Service lands."
Years of drought have left the trees infested by bark beetles and dead or dying. Fifteen fires in five Southern California counties between Oct. 21 and Nov. 4, 2003, blackened 750,000 acres, destroyed 3,640 homes and killed 22 people.
Initially, forestry officials were concerned about the cost effectiveness of $2,700 to $3,500 an hour helicopters, but the speed of helicopter log hauling has been impressive.
"The cost is well justified, because we're trying to save lives and property before another catastrophic fire breaks out," said Tim Morin, Riverside County project manager for the conservation service.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service gave $70 million to San Bernardino County, $30 million to San Diego County and $20 million to Riverside County for tree removal and erosion-control projects on state, county and private land.
Managers of the San Bernardino National Forest also received $30 million for tree-removal projects on federal land in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
In Riverside County, helicopters were used last month for a 62-acre tract, including a portion on the Idyllwild Arts campus, and a 155-acre project at Camp Emerson, a Boy Scout camp in Idyllwild. Many of the trees were milled into lumber.Associated Press via the Monteray Herald
