Dear Editor,
I was glad to see the article from Suzanne Guldimann about the bad beetles (Refer to “Wreaking Havoc on California’s Trees,” September 8, 2017, Vol. 1, No. 18) but realized that it is super important that we also provide a reminder NOT to buy firewood that is not certified as beetle-free. The problem in Calabasas (which is bad) started with infested mulch and Green Valley is losing many trees to gold spotted oak borer due to imported firewood.
I have been in the field doing the oak tree assessments in preparation for starting up the NASA project next week, and there are so many dead trees that folks will cut down, chop up for firewood and sell, spreading bad beetles far and wide.
We plan to host a community meeting in early December where the NASA folks can present their results but a date has not yet been set. All project results will be completed by then so we’ll have a more detailed article to provide you as well.
—Rosi Dagit, Senior Biologist
Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains