To rebuild burned forests, California needs rather more seed

DAVIS — A frozen forest, preserved as tiny seeds, packed in tall stacks of labeled boxes, holds the long run of California's burned forests.

In view of the worrying forest fires which are destroying trees, the role of the sub-zero-degree repository within the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Reforestation Center gains recent urgency.

It stores over 42,000 kilos of pristine seed of the state's native conifers, from coast redwoods to alpine firs. An adjoining facility houses young oaks and other hardwood species. The center's goal is to assist private landowners restore their charred landscapes — rebuild forests which have burned too badly to regrow naturally.

But rather more is required. After many years of mismanagement of the forests, which have led to an era of massive fires, there may be a critical shortage of quality seeds, trained personnel, storage facilities and space to grow tiny seedlings.

“Demand far exceeds supply,” said Cal Fire forester James Scheidwho heads the middle's reforestation program. Three quarters of the requests to the middle remain unanswered.

A current evaluation found that from 2018 to 2021, 4 million acres of private and non-private land burned within the Sierra Nevada, North Coast and Cascade Mountains—and of that, 1.5 million acres, or 37 percent, were scorched by ultra-hot flames. That number bThe consultants of Mason Bruce & Girard conclude theis the large park fire this summer in Butte and Tehama counties, which destroyed one other 430,000 acres.

Dead trees don’t produce seeds and the burned areas exposed to high heat are too large and too removed from living seed sources.

Because the 1.5 million hectares of burned forests cannot regenerate naturally, they’ll appear like a ghost forest for years to return, posing a danger to hikers and campers, and over time, erosion will occur and invasive shrubs will spread.

“There is a moral imperative to intervene at this point,” because many years of firefighting have created overcrowded forests that burn quickly and intensely, said Leana Weissberg the non-profit nature conservation organization American forests.

Decades ago, before environmental regulations restricted deforestation and the timber industry collapsed, There was quite a lot of activity within the tree nurseries.

At its peak, the U.S. Forest Service had 13 nurseries within the country; today only six remain, including one in Placerville.

The state of California once maintained three nurseries – in Ben Lomond, Magalia and Davis – that produced about 6 million trees annually for landowners across the state. Today, two of those nurseries are gone, victims of a long-ago budget crisis.

The Davis-based reforestation center next to Interstate 80 will remain, but it will possibly only grow 250,000 seedlings a 12 months. To reforest just 25 percent of California's private forest lands, it should must expand its capability by 300 percent.

Its trees are getting used to revive and reforest landscapes damaged by a few of the state's largest and most consequential fires: Valley in 2015, Camp in 2018, CZU Complex in 2020, August Complex in 2020, Glass in 2020, Creek in 2020, Caldor in 2021, Lava in 2021, and Mosquito in 2022, to call a number of.

To meet increasing demand, the middle is within the early stages of a multi-year modernization effort that may involve expanding its seed bank, constructing recent greenhouses and buying state-of-the-art processing equipment.

In the meantime, American Forests is working with the state and federal governments in Reforestation Pipeline Partnership to advertise seed collection, processing, storage, nursery production and cultivation.

This 12 months's gathering season is off to start. Conifers are reproducing erratically — and this looks to be a record 12 months for ponderosa pines, sugar pines and Jeffrey pines. Across the state, foresters are peering through binoculars to look at the guidelines of branches which are heavily covered with cones.

Cal Fire foresters have already collected 2,000 bushel bags of cones. By comparison, last 12 months was a lean 12 months, bringing in only 210 bushels. In just two days this week, American Forests collected 157 bushels within the El Dorado National Forest near Placerville.

To fully restore California's burned areas, no less than 75,000 bushels could be needed, Weissberg said.

“If there are good years, we want to capitalize on them,” she said.

Collectors don't take just any cone: only the very best of the very best is sweet enough.

They examine a sample at each location. If the cones are curved like bananas, this means an insect infestation. If they’re too green, the hardened shell doesn’t open. If they’re too old, the seeds are already scattered across the forest floor.

Some cones are sent back to Davis for X-rays. Each cone accommodates dozens of seeds, and scientists search for healthy embryos.

If the cones are deemed acceptable, there is barely a brief window of several weeks to reap them at optimal ripeness.

Climbers reach into the treetops to choose the cones, that are loaded into bushels, each labeled with the name and site of the “seed zone”. The bushels are transported by truck to facilities and specified by sheds to dry.

In October, the processing and seed-collection season begins. A kiln, an enormous chute that blows hot air, burns the cones to hurry up drying. Each species has its own precise needs. For example, sugar pines are heated to 95 degrees, ponderosa pines to 90 degrees, and Douglas firs to 85 degrees. Redwoods and cedars don’t need heat in any respect.

A big drum cylinder rotates and breaks the dried cones, allowing the seeds to fall out. A hand-made vibrating, vacuum-powered seed blower cleans and removes the seeds' wings.

Some delicate seeds, similar to cedar, require special care. The seeds of ponderosa pine and Jeffrey pine are hardy. Coulter pines – the divas of conifers – don’t release seeds unless their huge cones are dipped in hot water.

When they’re ready, the seeds are sent on their journey.

Some are dried, packaged, labelled and stored long-term within the Reforestation Centre's cold and fragrant seed bank. The bank holds a planting reserve and protects priceless plant genes from the vagaries of climate change and possible extinction.

Other seeds are prepared for immediate recovery work.

From November onwards, each species have to be persuaded to hibernate. Some only need seven weeks of cold chilling. Others, just like the Sierra Nevada sugar pine, need 16 weeks.

Between February and May, the seeds emerge from their dormancy, germinate and sprout. As they grow, they’re moved from greenhouses to larger “shade houses” after which outdoors, where they’re hardened off while continually monitored for signs of pests or disease.

The future forest planted within the ashen soil still needs human help: soil improvement, irrigation, weeding, protection from hungry animals and more.

“It would be great if Mother Nature did all the work and we could just step back,” said Scheid. “But we are forced to become more and more involved.”

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