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Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
Fishmonger #33008 08/31/13 01:31 PM
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Originally Posted By: Fishmonger

sad when government agencies start using facebook and other services that force users to sign up and give up personal information to be able to access resources such as this video.

This video does not play unless you have a facebook account, or something is broken here today.

All in the name of saving money, but hell will freeze over before I sign up with Zuckerberg's voluntary personal information donation service.


I complained on Yosemite's FB link on the last video of theirs I embedded here. They said they were making sure it was available to non-FB members, but sorry it couldn't be embedded.

I've tried the link on a different browser that doesn't automatically log me in, and it plays ok. So I think when you checked, there must have been something temporarily wrong with their server or on some link between your computer and there. Hope it works now, it seems to for me.

Humorous thing: FB pages don't offer a method to embed the video, but good ol' Firefox lets me dig in and find the <div.../div> block that I can paste here so you can see the video without ever visiting the FB page.

Edit: Anyone else who is NOT a Facebook member: Can you view the video here on WhitneyZone, or view it on the Yosemite Facebook link?
If more cannot, I'll let the Yosemite people know.

Last edited by Steve C; 08/31/13 03:41 PM.
Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
Steve C #33009 08/31/13 03:25 PM
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it doesn't play for me (Chrome and IE 10). Probably still requires you to be logged into FB, or something else is busted.

Not a huge deal. Most videos about the fire show smoke from far away and a few planes dumping retardant. Nothing that really tells you much about the magnitude of what is happening.

Some maps I have seen show that the south shore of Hetch Hetchy is all burned up - is that really the case?

Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
Fishmonger #33010 08/31/13 04:00 PM
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Originally Posted By: Fishmonger
it doesn't play for me (Chrome and IE 10). Probably still requires you to be logged into FB, or something else is busted.

Not a huge deal. Most videos about the fire show smoke from far away and a few planes dumping retardant. Nothing that really tells you much about the magnitude of what is happening.

Some maps I have seen show that the south shore of Hetch Hetchy is all burned up - is that really the case?


S. Shore burned: Haven't seen the maps, maybe I can look. But it is completely conceivable. The fire was getting close a few days ago. This is THE record fire for California.

Regarding the video: YES it IS a big deal. I tried viewing it on a different computer here, and sure enough, it won't display. I'll be letting Yosemite FB people know.

...Edit: On that other computer, once I downloaded and installed Adobe Flashplayer v11 and updated Firefox, it did display on the facebook link (above). But it seems to still not play in the embedded window in my post on the previous page.

Posted on Facebook: (then revised)
Quote:
Edit: It does now display, after updating Firefox to v 12, and Adobe flashplayer v 11. Sorry about the false alarm.

Old text: This video will not play on a computer that has not logged into Facebook...

Last edited by Steve C; 08/31/13 04:40 PM.
Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
Steve C #33011 08/31/13 04:06 PM
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Here's a great map of the Rim fire. Looks like the fire has reached the Merced & Tuolumne Sequoias today.

Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
wazzu #33012 08/31/13 04:11 PM
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Thanks wazzu. And thanks to Joseph and his Gmap4 utility.

From the map, it looks like Yosemite's Tioga Road is about to be burned. This will change the face of Yosemite for a century or more!

frown frown frown sick crycry

Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
wazzu #33013 08/31/13 05:52 PM
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If you zoom in on the small hotspot at the Crane Flat Lookout you will see the actual burn perimeter. When the large circles are superimposed on the actual burn perimeter it looks much worse than it actually is as the circles are overlaying an area that is quite large.

Also, the red circles are current hotspots, the other colors are older hotspots that that may not even be burning at this time. The black circles are very old hotspots and more than likely no fire there any longer.

There are no red circles anywhere near the sequoias and there are "massive" teams of firefighters on site. There is very little to no ladder fuel in either of those areas. There is no fire near either of them at this time and it's unlikely there will be. The big concern is the historic cabin at the Merced Grove. It is now shrouded in a fireproof covering.

By the way the guy that makes these maps has a "Donate" button.

http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4_donate.html

Originally Posted By: wazzu
Here's a great map of the Rim fire. Looks like the fire has reached the Merced & Tuolumne Sequoias today.

Last edited by Mike Condron; 08/31/13 06:03 PM.

Mike
Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
Mike Condron #33014 09/01/13 07:10 PM
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Originally Posted By: Mike Condron


By the way the guy that makes these maps has a "Donate" button.

http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4_donate.html



I sent him $25 because I look at these maps more than I do the other items I subscribe to!


The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
wazzu #33043 09/04/13 10:41 PM
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Originally Posted By: wazzu
Here's a great map of the Rim fire. Looks like the fire has reached the Merced & Tuolumne Sequoias today.

Checking the map tonight, I see the fire has now crossed the Tioga Road (Hwy 120) east of Crane Flat. Dang fire just won't stop. mad


Edit Fri, Sept 6: Tioga road is still closed, but Hwy 120 is back open into Yosemite Valley.

State Route 120 from Groveland to Yosemite National Park Will Reopen

Last edited by Steve C; 09/06/13 12:10 PM.
Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
Steve C #33058 09/05/13 01:18 PM
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According to this article , the Rim fire was started by a hunter.

"The massive Rim Fire on the west edge of Yosemite National Park was caused by a hunter who lost control of his campfire, authorities said Thursday.

The hunter, whose name has not been released, started an illegal campfire while traveling in remote wilderness within the Stanislaus National Forest, about three miles east of the Sierra foothill town of Groveland, the U.S. Forest Service said."

Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
wazzu #33064 09/05/13 02:48 PM
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Straight out of the old propanganda film...Bambi!

Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
wazzu #33080 09/05/13 10:03 PM
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hunter? What hunting season is it right now?

Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
tdtz #33081 09/05/13 10:32 PM
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Bow season (deer) can begin as early as July/August.


The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
Bee #33087 09/06/13 08:27 AM
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Bee....thanks!

Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
tdtz #33126 09/07/13 02:11 PM
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Another Yosemite Facebook video.

Click on this page if the video below doesn't display. Yosemite claims everyone can view it.

Fire Containment Operations in Yosemite
Quote:
Fire crews in Yosemite conducted firing operations along the Tioga Road this week to provide a buffer of protection from the Rim Fire. As you can see in this video, the fire mostly burns debris on the forest floor rather than the trees. It's only when the forest floor accumulates too much debris or too many young trees that a small fire like this gets hot enough to torch mature trees and spread from treetop to treetop.

Later in the video, we give you a behind-the-scenes peek at Yosemite’s Helicopter 551 ferrying supplies from the Crane Flat helibase.



Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
Steve C #33127 09/07/13 02:47 PM
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Plays great. No problem.
The whirley bird guys really know what they are doing.

Last edited by John Sims; 09/07/13 02:49 PM.
Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
John Sims #33136 09/07/13 11:27 PM
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I posted a comment on Facebook, supporting another person's statement, and it evolved into an interesting and educational discussion:

Matt B:
> so the question is why didn't you do this already before the fire started?

Steve C:
> Repeating the question by Matt B: Why do we wait until 300 square miles burns to do this? Seems like every fall crews should fan out and do this -- just before the first wet storm would be ideal! Could even be done by crop duster or helicopter dropping little fire starting "bombs".

Timothy H:
> If I remember right, Yosemite does do this on a schedule within the park. The fire started outside the park, and they are not allowed to do control burns outside the park. So the real question is: Why doesn't the National Forest Service do control burns?

Steve C
> Judging by the acreage burned inside the park, it looks like even Yosemite should be stepping up the fall burning efforts. I definitely agree that the N.F. needs to do it. Unfortunately federal budgets have been cut to the FS year after year after year.

Yosemite person:
> Steve and Timothy - we do! This is one reason why the Rim Fire slowed down once it reached Yosemite's boundaries. Learn more at http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/rx-fire-history.htm and http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/mechanical-thinning.htm.

Burt S:
> I will chime in on this one since I am responsible for the Rx burn program on the Forest Service land that borders the southern boundary of YNP. As easy as you guys make it seem to grab a torch and start dropping fire on landscape our biggest constraint to do more burning is the air quality regulations that we deal with in the southern sierra nevadas. The San Joaquin Air shed is one of the dirtiest in the nation and even though we all work very well with our air regulatiors the limited burn windows and daily acreage limitations we have to deal with really hamper our ability to burn large acreages.The trade off our local air boards must deal with is following the national evironmental policy regarding clean air, immediate public health vs long term reduced emissions from rx burns and future wildfires. As much as federal budgets are being reduced this is really secondary to the air quality stuff. So how can you in the public side lend some support is to write your public representative and voice your thoughts and ideas on how we need to change our current process. YNP has been one of the leaders in using managed wildfires and rx burns to manage fuels and the end state of what this fire did inside the park will provide a good insight into the past burns. The bottom line is the future of forests in Sierra Nevada are in the hands of the pubic and if they are to carry on as a recreating envirornment they will need some form of fuels management that includes landscape scale fire which equates to smoke impacts in some form or the other. Remember mother nature always bats last.

Steve C:
> Burt, thanks so much for the explanation and the information. I had heard about that stupid turf war between the air quality people and the forest service in the past, but never made the connection here. It is obviously hampering your burning times and needs. It is pretty ridiculous the FS has to abide by the same rules as valley farms.

So as a result, we can expect more huge forest fires, where the Air Quality people have no control. I am also aware that lightning-caused fires are often "cultivated" and allowed to burn, since the FS cannot be reprimanded for starting them.
If you ask me, the need to use fire to prevent huge uncontrollable wild fires in the future ought to take precedence over present-day air quality rules.

And I wish this type of discussion could take place in a more permanent and public forum, so more people would see it.

Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
Steve C #33138 09/08/13 05:57 AM
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I am working with USFS in the northwest and some private researchers on a method I hold clinics in that reduces emissions from open forest management burns by at least half, sometimes by 90 percent. It requires, however, that the burn material be stacked. Stacking is common practice in timber operations and in some managed fuel reduction projects, but is impractical and expensive in the normal Rx burn to maintain already low fuel levels.

However, if the technique were used more in forestry operations where stacking is practical, it could free up some tolerance for Rx burns where it is not.

On my recent JMT trip, I noticed a lot of burn piles around Red's being prepared, possibly for burning this fall. As most of you know, there were massive blowdowns in that area recently, and the fuel accumulation is really unbelieveable. The conservation burn method used on the piles I saw could be hugely effective in reducing the emissions from those inevitable burns, and allow a lot for Rx burns in the same areas.

Please let me know if there is interest in this method.

PS: the same method can be used to massively reduce both emissions and biomass consumption from cooking fires. Although there was a fire ban in all jurisdictions south of Yosemite on this recent trip, my casual but trained observation is that the average back country cooking fire - in those ridiculously large fire rings we all love so much - uses ten to 100 times or more fuel than is actually necessary to do the job.

In Yosemite, I used a stove that I make that runs on litter, the broken pine cones, needles and small sticks that cover the ground in a proper campsite, and cooks an entire meal on a couple ounces of the stuff. The few times I was able to use this (YVBP camp, LYV, Sunrise, Lyle) I never used more fuel than I could gather sitting on my butt in one spot. And that included a little cheering flame and a lot of continued hot water for washing up from the dying coals. I posted here on this stove last winter as I was developing it.

In the next year, I will be actively and enthusiastically promoting the conservation burn for ALL back country fires, where permitted.


Wherever you go, there you are.
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Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
saltydog #33258 09/14/13 03:11 PM
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Missed this post, Saltydog. Yes, I'd like to see a description of the stacked burn method.

And I'd like to see your stove and how it works, too. ...maybe in its own thread.


I checked back here to post that the Tioga Road is now completely open again, so westside people can get to Tuolumne Meadows again.

Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
Steve C #33664 10/06/13 09:05 AM
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Here's an article with some great pictures and a first hand account of the Rim Fire burn area, along with the mop up and recovery work being done.

Re: Rim Fire near Yosemite
wazzu #33669 10/06/13 10:26 PM
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There are 30 pictures in that article. Shows a lot. So glad the camps and cabins were saved.

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