Weather Change Helping Butte Fire Tree Removal

Archive Photo

Mountain Ranch, CA — After getting a delayed start due to February storms, nearly 2,650 dead trees have been removed from the Butte Fire footprint.

Calaveras County spokesperson Sharon Torrence reports that the company Phillips and Jordan increased the number of tree removal crews to 10 this past week. The trees were removed from both public right-of-ways and private property. Calaveras County is planning to remove a total of 8,400 trees over the coming weeks and months. Once trees are cut to the ground the logs and slash are then hauled to a processing site in Wallace, and from there they are sent to cogeneration plants.

Crews are currently working in the areas of South Railroad Flat, Sheep Ranch, Fricot City, Doster, Upper Dorray, Ponderosa, Hawver, Whiskey Slide, Michael, Old Gulch, Mountain Ranch, Prussian Hill, Avenue A, East Murray Creek, West Murray Creek, Potteroffs, Baker Riley, Worden and Cave City roads.

The Butte Fire ignited on September 9, 2015 and burned 70,868 acres.