[pct-l] why close the burn areas?

[Ken Murray]

Interesting question.

The short answer is "trees".  

When a fire burns through a forested area, it kills many trees, and causes a lot of damage to surviving trees.  These structures are at very high risk of falling, which is greatly exacerbated by a heavy snow load, freezing cycles, and wind events.

I do volunteer work on these forests, and I'm certified to cut trees down, and on the ground.  A truly amazing amount of education is devoted to "hazard trees", and deservedly so.  There have been several highly skilled workers that have been killed in the Sierra in the last few years by hazard trees...in one case, by a tree falling on a forest service person in the middle of the night, crushing her while sleeping in her tent.

A fire through an area greatly increases the risk of a tree falling.  In a heavily forested area, a tree will tend to fall where there is open space....like on a trail.  In fact, trails often cause root damage, and increase the risk.

To send people into a burned forest that has not been examined, and had the risks mitigated, is somewhat like sending someone across an open boulder field with a thunderhead overhead making lightning strikes.  Maybe there will not be a strike, probably there will not be a strike on the person, but would you send your spouse out there?  Your child?

There are many who feel that they have a right to take such a risk for themselves, even though they have no skill, knowledge, or training in making the involved risk assessment.  Can the agency do this?
They can, but they take upon that agency ALL risk and liability for what happens, and it likely cannot be waived by the participant. (such waivers often involve the concept of "informed consent", which requires that a person be reasonably educated in the risks.....and how can one do that, when one has no info about the subject, at all).

In about a month, I will be leading a trail crew that will be involved in mitigating hazard trees on the PCT for the 8 or so miles north of Kennedy Meadows.  I have great concerns about traversing the trail in the area of the fire last summer, and am making sure that my crew is current and educated about the trip.  This section of trail is not closed, because it is anticipated that it will be made safe by the time that hikers start to use the trail for the year.

Here is a link that talks about the risk issues:

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/Spfo/Pubs/hazardtrees/treehazards/intro.htm