by Constance Scharff
Like most other camp administrators in Southern California and the rest
of the drought-stricken portions of the western United States, I have
kept a careful eye on the progression of bark beetle and the dead and
dying trees they leave in their wake. Being part of the Girl Scouts of
the USA, our camp has several “sister” facilities throughout
the region. It was shocking to learn both before and after the devastating
fires in October 2003 that most camps do not have forestry plans for their
facilities.
When I first started in the camp industry, I began in the Pacific Northwest.
There, dense forests were abundant. One literally could not see the forest
for the trees. In 2002, I was given oversight of a Southern California
camp and was astonished to find a forest that had many characteristics
similar to those I left in the North. I was given responsibility for an
overstocked, drought-stressed forest that was showing signs of insect
infestation. Though not an arborist, I knew that something had to be done
to improve the health of our forest, and it had to be done quickly before
the bulk of our trees fell prey to disease or drought.
My education in forestry began by going to other camp directors and
administrators. It was a surprise to find that, although we follow strict
guidelines to keep our campers as safe as possible and mitigate known
dangers, very little seemed to be happening to protect forest health.
Even when forest health was discussed as directly affecting camper safety
by decreasing fire danger, most administrators noted that they simply
did not have the funds to undertake forestry projects and preferred to
put their money to work in other areas of program and property development.
Forestry projects, I learned, were not fun and flashy. Finding funds to
manage forests seemed to be akin to finding someone interested in a naming
opportunity to build a privy.
The fire damage to two Girl Scout camps in the San Diego area helped
our board of directors to understand the importance of forestry planning.
Girl Scouts works to improve the lives of girls through patriotism, service,
values, and spirituality. We see our camps as vital to that undertaking.
Keeping our property and our campers safe from fire has become a major
priority. A healthy forest is just one sign of a healthy camp. Girl Scouts
of the San Fernando Valley decided to undertake a forestry improvement
plan for the health and safety of our campers.
Fire Prevention — A Primary Concern, But Not the
Only One
Fire prevention was a primary concern, but not the only one. There were
other potential benefits to creating a forestry management plan.
- Increase supervision. Just by clearing brush, you can see an immediate
enhancement of camper supervision. There are literally fewer places
for campers to hide out, or hide contraband, in the sleeping units.
- Decrease biological hazards. You can expect to decrease several biological
hazards, including rattlesnakes and poisonous spiders.
- Remove dangerous tree limbs. It is important to remove dangerous
tree limbs to avoid one falling on a camper and injuring or killing
her. In our case, we were concerned that we’d lose shade coverage
or create a great deal of dust in an already dry and dusty camp. To
our pleasure, we were assured that we’d see little negative impact
to shade.
- Improve health of campers. Even with no rain, native grasses spring
up in some areas. Proper forest management will eliminate much of this
foliage, decreasing the number of asthmatic episodes that our campers
experience.
First Steps
We started by working with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) who referred
us to the California Department of Forestry (CDF), since our facility
is on privately owned land. Working closely with both organizations, we
additionally solicited the volunteer support of a number of arborists,
foresters, landscape architects, and other professionals in the field
of forestry. Each told us the same thing — we had a forest that
was overstocked, filled with ladder fuel and heavy brush, and contained
the early stages of a bark beetle and mistletoe infestation.
In all honesty, our organization, like most nonprofit organizations,
didn’t have much money available to undertake a forestry plan —
and it certainly didn’t have any money available for undertakings
not currently in our budget. Still, failure to act could have caused our
forest and camp to be put in real danger. We had seen photos of the damage
to camps in San Diego. We took action.
Taking Action
To improve the chance of survival for the healthiest trees on the property,
dead and dying trees and heavy brush were removed to decrease competition
for valuable resources. This included the removal of ladder fuel above
and beyond what is required by government forestry agencies. Trees were
limbed to remove mistletoe and hazard branches. Our membership was understandably
concerned since we were the first in our area to undertake a task of this
type. No one was sure what the results would be.
Intermediate Results
Though our facility is a long way from our goal state of a totally vibrant,
healthy forest, the change is amazing. Those unfamiliar with the area
are totally oblivious to the fact that any forest work has been done.
Those who know the camp are impressed child supervision, while the beauty
of the forest has been maintained. There has been an unexpected increase
in the number of butterflies, birds, and bats at camp. This is keeping
the bug populations down — a favorite unforeseen benefit of creating
a more appropriately stocked forest. There has been no increase in asthmatic
reactions since the first stage of our forestry project was undertaken.
Though we still have a great deal of wildlife in the camp, populations
of some dangerous animals through brush clearance are being controlled.
Rattlesnakes are easier to find and relocate because they have fewer places
to hide. The shading in the camp is more even and natural grasses are
starting to grow in some areas. This is expected to continue once there
is a good rain again. When we find more funding, we’ll continue
to remove some of the scrub in the area and look at stand diversification
to improve the forest’s chances of surviving future threats from
pests, drought, and disease.
Lessons Learned
Several lessons have been learned from undertaking a forestry project
at a resident camp, and we encourage anyone contemplating similar actions
to learn from our challenges and mistakes.
- Begin with the USFS (www.fs.fed.us),
CDF (www.fire.ca.gov/php),
or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) (www.blm.gov)
— depending on the ownership of the property. Even agencies that
have not had direct responsibility for working with us have been very
helpful. Some have free consultations or other resources for nonprofit
organizations.
- Talk with your local fire department. Our fire inspectors have been
unbelievably supportive of our efforts to improve the health of our
forests and mitigate fire risk.
- If possible, obtain input from a number of people who understand
trees/forests. Botanists gave a different perspective than landscapers.
A full palette of advice helped us to put together a solid and affordable
plan.
- Be keen to look for ways to decrease competition among favored trees
without harming the overall landscape.
- Start with the most heavily used parts of camp first. This will help
you to tie your forestry plan into your risk management, fire, and evacuation
plans.
- Consider water sources and ingress and egress of people and equipment
when undertaking your plan. You need to be clear about priorities before
removing or leaving any trees. Will your forestry plan help you get
fire trucks into camp? Do you still have enough shade trees for people
and vegetation to prevent erosion? Do you have a plan to maintain wildlife
at camp? Will your water sources support all that you want to do with
your camp and the environment?
- If you don’t already have one, start a fire safety council
with the help of local fire and forestry services. These councils can
help the entire community band together to improve fire safety and forest
health.
- Read and review the forest management plan from the USFS. In California,
you can review the plan at www.fs.fed.us/r5/scfpr.
Pay particular attention to zoning in each of the alternatives proposed
for your area.
With clear planning and forethought, creating a forestry plan cannot
only lessen danger, but can also improve your overall camp program and
camper comfort.
Originally published in the 2005 January/February
issue of Camping Magazine.
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