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Chief Administrative Office recommending the Board find that a state of emergency continues to exist in El Dorado County as a result of unprecedented tree mortality due to drought conditions and related bark beetle infestations. (Cont. 11/19/19, Item 3)
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At their Special meeting of March 28, 2016, the Board adopted Resolution 053-2016 establishing the state of emergency as a result unprecedented tree mortality due to drought conditions and related bark beetle infestations.
The California Government Code empowers the Board of Supervisors to proclaim a local emergency when the existence or threatened existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the territorial limits of the County, caused by conditions that include drought and plant infestation or disease, and that these conditions are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of the county to effectively control.
Four years of record drought conditions and lack of precipitation throughout the State of California and the County of El Dorado have left trees susceptible to epidemic infestations of the bark beetle, resulting in pervasive tree mortality that is significantly impacting forest and watershed health.
On October 21, 2014, the Board of Supervisors, through the adoption of Resolution 179-2014, declared a local State of Emergency throughout the County due to the drought conditions that have been persistent in the County since the 1st day of January 2014. The Board has deemed that said local State of Emergency continues to exist with the Board's continued approval of Resolution 179-2014, as required by the Government Code.
On October 30, 2015, Governor Brown proclaimed a State of Emergency due to unprecedented tree mortality caused by the conditions of extreme drought and 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.
Data collected by state and federal agencies demonstrates that due to drought conditions and bark beetle infestation, over 22 million trees in the State of California are dead 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 August 2015 estimate that tree mortality in the County of El Dorado has affected 200,000 trees on 62,000 acres.
The County of El Dorado alone lacks the capability and resources to address this expanding emergency. The Board's adoption of Resolution 053-2016 will enable the County to seek state and possibly federal funding and will demonstrate the County's intent to partner with state, federal, local agencies and private partners, in order to immediately and effectively address tree mortality throughout the County.