sick forest

By Guy McCarthy

As reported here previously, there are a lot of dead and dying trees in the San Bernardino National Forest.

The ridge pictured is between Big Bear Lake and Running Springs, above Highway 18 west of Snow Valley ski resort.

Cutting down all this dead and dying fuel is cost-prohibitive, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Otherwise they'd have done it years ago.

In the meantime, from the east San Gabriels to the San Jacintos, extreme fire hazards remain in the nation's most urbanized mountain forest.

For a report from Running Springs during the Slide Fire early Oct. 23 2007, click here.

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