Dead trees pose fire risk in SoCal mountain resorts

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) Thousands of trees infested by beetles have died and pose a major fire danger to the mountain resorts of the San Bernardino National Forest unless they are cut down and removed, fire officials and forestry experts said.

State forestry officials estimate at least 35,000 trees, mostly pines, have died recently from beetle infestations.

``There's at least twice as many trees dying as we had last year,'' said John Regelbrugge, a U.S. Forest Service official who mapped tree deaths during a two-day flyover of forests in San Bernardino and western Riverside counties in late August.

The tree deaths also pose a serious fire threat in coming weeks if nothing is done, fire officials said. San Bernardino and Riverside counties have each pitched in $300,000 for clearing dead trees from private properties. But some residents and forestry experts believe the state and federal governments have not done their part.

``Lake Arrowhead is going to burn down,'' Richard Minnich, a fire ecology professor at the University of California, Riverside, said of the mountain community east of Los Angeles.

State and federal agencies said restrictions on the use of leftover federal disaster funds and concerns about subsidizing private property owners have hampered their efforts. Failure to cut trees and shrubbery by residents who live in the forest also has contributed to problem.

Many of the trees have been weakened by development, especially pavement that abuts tree trunks. Beetles have taken advantage of the trees' poor health along with low rainfall amounts in Southern California that has left trees unable to expel the pests naturally, forestry experts said.

``The beetles have gone wild, in unprecedented numbers,'' said botanist Tim Krantz, a University of Redlands professor of environmental studies. ``I've worked in the forest 25 years, and I've never seen anything like this. I dare say no forester or botanist living has ever seen anything like this in Southern California.''

Tree removal also has become a problem. While smaller stands can be cut for firewood, bigger ones are hard to dispose. There isn't a lumber mill within 300 miles, Minnich said.

In some cases, the state will help treat and remove infested trees. However, the state can't help if the tree is already dead. It costs between $2,000 and $6,000 to remove one Ponderosa or Coulter pine tree.

``This is a long-term problem,'' said Jim Wright, deputy director of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. ``They'll have to be cutting these trees forever to get caught up.''

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)