The fierce Valley Fire that struck Cobb Mountain and Hidden Valley Lake not only burned hundreds of homes but thousands of towering pines and oaks. According to scientist and tree expert Greg Giusti of the University of California, many of the oaks and pines that burned were 80 years or older. In fact, some of the oaks could have been 150 years old. This is especially true in the Cobb Mountain area.
“It’s not unusual for an oak to be 200 years old and pines can live as long as 100 years,” Giusti said. According to Giusti, for those homeowners who choose to rebuild it will be decades for newly planted trees to grow to 20 feet or higher.
He said that Cobb Mountain won’t look the same in our lifetime.
What concerns Giusti more than the trees is that brush that will grow and create fire hazards. He said the brush will sprout back within two or three years and if we have another drought it could be a major fire hazard. He said the brush can catch fire and then spread it to the trees. The answer according the Giusti is to keep the brush trimmed short.
His other concern is the portion of Hidden Valley Lake and Cobb Mountain that didn’t burn and the massive amount of dry brush that is still situated around the remaining homes.
“We need to cut back that brush and create fire lanes or we are going to be in big trouble,” said Giusti. “The brush will burn and then set the trees afire,” added Giusti. He said a fire can move through the tree tops of speeds that exceed 30 mph.
Giusti said that preventing fires is a lot easier and less expensive than fighting fires.
