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County Counsel and the Chief Administrative Office are recommending that the Board:
1) Approve the format of the Right of Entry Permit and attachment documents for the tree mortality operations in El Dorado County; and
2) Authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, or designee, to sign the Right of Entry Permits on behalf of the County once the signed Right of Entry Permits are received from the homeowners affected by tree mortality.
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DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION
County Counsel and the Chief Administrative Office recommend that the Board approve the format of the Right of Entry Permit and attachment documents and authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to sign the Right of Entry Permits on behalf of the County once the signed Right of Entry Permits are received from the homeowners affected by tree mortality.
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
On October 30, 2015, Governor Brown proclaimed a State of Emergency due to unprecedented tree mortality caused by conditions of extreme drought and drought-related bark beetle infestations. The Governor's Emergency Proclamation contains 18 distinct actions that direct state agencies, utilities and local governments to remove dead or dying trees in high hazard areas across the entire State of California.
On March 28, 2016, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency due to pervasive tree mortality in El Dorado County.
Data collected by State and federal agencies demonstrates that drought conditions and bark beetle infestation have killed over 102 million trees in the State of California, and that tens of millions more are likely to die over the next five to six years. Surveys conducted by the U.S. Forest Service in May estimate that new tree mortality (between October 2015 and May 2016) in El Dorado County has affected an estimated 177,000 conifer trees. Many of these trees are located in the Eldorado National Forest or on private land. However, some of these trees endanger County infrastru...
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