Berryman Family Forest Siskiyou County, CA
History
The Berryman Family Forest was purchased in 1995 by Ron & Martha Berryman. The geology is fascinating as the entire forest sits atop soils from an ancient collapse
of a “previous” Mt. Shasta some 350,000 years ago. The collapse covered a swath 40 kilometers in length, one of the largest known landslides in the world! The weather is also somewhat unique as the air flow around Mt Shasta and Black Butte provides for very high winds, particularly in the fall/winter period. In the past 10 years, wildfires have erupted very close to the property driven by winds from the south. The last occurrence was the Mill Fire in 2022 that started within the city of Weed, destroyed the Lincoln Heights subdivision adjacent to the property, and advanced into the northeast corner of the forest. Aggressive fuels management at the Berryman property line changed the character of the fire from a crown fire to a ground fire which saved that forest. That will be the focus of the September Field Day.

Field Day Schedule Overview
9:30am-10:00am – Registration and Sign Waivers
10:00am-3:00pm* – Field Day Tour
*Lunch will be provided and planned for 12:00pm, approximately. We will provide bottled water.

The last time we visited the Berryman Family Forest was June 2011. The bulk of the time will be spent looking at their fuel management projects, some of which were done with CFIP funding. The Mill Fire started in the city of Weed last year and very quickly engulfed the subdivision adjoining our forest. The stark remnants of burned homes shows the contrast between their forest, which was largely unscathed.

The morning will be spent showing the fuel breaks and take questions. Following lunch, we will convene to the new foot bridge site and cross the bridge to see the fire results.