With the Rim Fire still burning, Tuolumne County farmers, ranchers
and loggers now focus on gathering cattle, harvesting crops and
protecting timber, while repairing damage to their operations. The
wildfire, one of the largest in state history, destroyed grazing land,
killed livestock, consumed private timber and damaged essential
infrastructure.
"This county has never experienced a disaster like this," cattle
rancher Stuart Crook of Groveland said. "We can't even begin to count
the losses—the time, cattle, timber and our buildings and equipment."
Crook estimated losses to the ranching community would be "in the millions."
"For us, it's going to take years to recover," he said.
Fellow Tuolumne County cattle rancher Tim Erickson said he still had
not been able to locate more than 200 pairs of cows and calves.
"I have no idea what I've lost in terms of fences, feed, dead cattle, timber," Erickson said.
"Fire is a good tool for forest management, but not when the forest
has been neglected like this," he said. "I look around and the fire has
turned the forest white as snow."
Last Friday, Crook and Erickson were among ranchers who were allowed
into the burn area to retrieve some of their cattle that survived the
fire.
Faced with a 200,0000-acre burn area, the county's $30 million a year
agricultural production has taken a serious blow—how serious is still
being tallied. Tuolumne County Agricultural Commissioner Vicki Helmar
said it remains too early to compile damage estimates.
To read more by Kate Campbell of Ag Alert News CLICK HERE
