Scientist: Tree blow-down will complicate efforts to extinguish Caldor Fire

Despite not moving significantly east along the Highway 50 corridor, the Caldor Fire is continuing to burn just west of Twin Bridges sending volumes of smoke into Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe.

As of Saturday morning, the fire had grown to nearly 150,000 acres with containment at 19 percent.

That growth hasn’t translated into significant movement east toward Echo Summit with the fire remaining 6-7 miles away from the ridge.

A University of California, Davis, researcher said that downed big trees on the fire’s eastern edge could be feeding the fire in the high country.

Pyrogeographer Dr. Crystal Kolden said a Jan. 18-19 wind event knocked down thousands of large trees that were otherwise healthy.

On her Twitter feed, Kolden shared her research that the big blowdown may be contributing to the fire burning just west of the Sierra Crest.

Weather conditions in 2019 contributed to the number of fallen trees on the west slope of the Sierra.

“After a hot, dry summer and prolonged fall drought stressed the trees and their root systems, snow fell across December and early January loading the tree crowns,” she explained. “When the winds hit, the largest trees were vulnerable up and down the Sierra, just east of the Caldor Fire perimeter, was particularly hard hit.”

She said the downed trees then cured over the warm spring and summer and are ready to burn.

After the hot spring and summer, these downed trees have cured out and are ready to burn.

She said once the large fallen trees start to burn they will be difficult to extinguish.

“They will produce substantial heat as they combust, and in areas where many fell across each other like pick-up sticks, they will create a problematic jackpot of fuel,” she said. “Because the trees are hung up, spot fires start easily in the thick slash around the downed trees and the logs are so large, they are hard to extinguish with water and retardant.”

Carson Valley residents are definitely experiencing one effect of the fire as unhealthy to hazardous air quality readings greeted residents on Saturday morning.

“As the Caldor Fire hits such areas, you may see more energy in the smoke plume and there may be some difficult spot fires,” Kolden said.

Weather may cause firefighters some difficulty keeping the fire from burning further east today.

The forecast over the fire indicates low humidity combined with upcanyon winds this afternoon at 5-10 mph, gusting to 20 mph along the Highway 50 corridor, officials said. The cost of fighting the fire has reached $51 million, so far.