Brown Issues State Of Emergency Due To Dying Trees
Sacramento, CA — California Governor Jerry Brown has issued a State of Emergency due to bark beetle infestations and dying trees.
Brown is planning to call on several state agencies to take actions needed to remove hazard trees. In addition, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, and CAL Fire, will convene a task force to look into the issue.
The Tuolumne and Mariposa county boards of supervisors have both written letters to Governor Brown urging him to take this type of action. Brown is also seeking federal help to mobilize additional resources for the safe removal of dead and dying trees. Brown has sent a letter to US Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, writing, “California is facing the worst epidemic of tree mortality in its modern history. A crisis of this magnitude demands action on all fronts.”
A US Forest Service study recently found that 22-million trees have already died in California during the four year drought.
You can read the Governor’s State of Emergency proclamation by clicking here, and his letter to Ag Secretary Vilsack can be found here.
