Salt Creek Ridge Grove
Salt Creek Ridge Grove
Overview
Health & Resilience Summary
low
0.8
This grove is ranked Low for Relative Overall Vulnerability due to:
Wildfire Vulnerability
Low - 0.8
Regen Vulnerability
Low - 0.0
See the Grove Health & Resilience section below for more information.
low
0.8
This grove is ranked Low for Relative Management Priority due to:
Overall Vulnerability
Low - 0.8
Treatment Feasibility
Good - 10.0
See the Management Considerations section below for more information.
Grove Map
Grove Map - click map for more detailed spatial information
Grove Information
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Grove Size (Acres) | 29 |
| Location | Upper Kaweah Watershed, Tulare County |
| Management Unit(s) | Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area |
| Land Steward(s) | Private, DOI BLM |
About Salt Creek Ridge Grove
Salt Creek Ridge Grove is a 29-acre grove in the Kaweah River Watershed region situated between 5,277 - 6,145 feet elevation at 36.40123°N. It is managed by Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area and is part of the Case Mountain Complex, the only sequoia groves managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Salt Creek Ridge Grove is located 6 miles east of the town of Three Rivers, CA, and occurs in the headwaters of Salt Creek and other tributaries to the East Fork of the Kaweah River. The grove is not remote but it can only be accessed via an 11-mile primitive dirt road that climbs about 5,000 ft. Accessing and using the road is dependent upon weather conditions; the road can get washed out and clay components in the soil can make it very difficult to drive on after inclement weather. Vehicle access is currently limited to BLM personnel and private landowners. The general public can access the grove by foot, equestrian and mountain bike travel only. Portions of Salt Creek Ridge Grove were logged in the 1940’s and 1950’s.
Salt Creek Ridge Grove
Health & Resilience
Salt Creek Ridge Grove is ranked Low for Relative Overall Vulnerability because it is at a Low risk of being negatively impacted by the effects of severe wildfire and at Low risk for inadequate natural regeneration.
Additionally, Salt Creek Ridge Grove is at Moderate risk for negative impacts from drought stress, Low levels of tree mortality have been detected in the grove, and the presence and activity of beetles in the grove is None Observed. 100% of Salt Creek Ridge Grove has burned in large fires since 1984. See below for more detailed information.
low
0.8
Relative Overall Vulnerability
Relative Overall Vulnerability is based on Wildfire Vulnerability and Regeneration Vulnerability using an area-weighted calculation. See Grove Assessment Analysis Methods for more details.
The pie charts below provide the percentage of the grove with high, medium, and low vulnerabilities. Click on the charts to view interactive maps of these vulnerabilities within the grove.
Below is additional information about Salt Creek Ridge Grove's Health & Resilience. These data, their inputs, and any available notes and updates may be found in the Grove Resilience Datasheet.
Beetle Activity
Beetle Activity in Salt Creek Ridge Grove has not been observed by grove managers.
Please see the Grove Resilience Datasheet for details.
Drought-related Tree Mortality (all species)
The drought- and insect-related mortality of all tree species combined in Salt Creek Ridge Grove is estimated as Low according to USFS dead canopy surveys from 2017-2021. Please see Grove Assessment Analysis Methods for details.
The table below provides information about large wildfires in this grove recorded since 1984. See this map of wildfires and locations of high severity fire.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Wildfires | CASE - 1987, COFFEE POT - 2024 |
| % of grove burned | 100% |
| % of grove unburned | 0% |
| Fire Return Interval Departure | Moderate |
The chart below provides the percentages of the grove burned at different levels of severity for each wildfire since 1984.
Salt Creek Ridge Grove
Management Considerations
Salt Creek Ridge Grove is ranked Low for Relative Management Priority because it has Low Relative Overall Vulnerability and Good feasibility for implementing management actions toward restoration goals.
Additionally, the grove is 2.6 miles from a community and is 3.5 miles from recreational infrastructure. There is a presence of pre-settlement and historic archeological sites. Restoration treatments are sometimes infeasible due to steepness in the grove, but feasibility is determined on a case-by-case basis. There are historic skid trails that could be used to implement management activities. See below for more detailed information.
low
0.8
Relative Management Priority
Relative Management Priority is determined by combining the Relative Overall Vulnerability and Treatment Feasibility ranks. See Grove Assessment Analysis Methods for more details.
Relative Overall Vulnerability
Low - 0.8
See the Health & Resilience section above for the component metrics for the Relative Overall Vulnerability rank.
Treatment Feasibility
good - 10.0
| Factor | Value |
|---|---|
| Special Land Designation | None |
| Grove Manager Opinion | Fuel Treatments are Possible |
| Remote | No |
Below is additional information relevant to Salt Creek Ridge Grove's Management Considerations. These data, their inputs, and any available notes and updates may be found in the Grove Resilience Datasheet.
Treatment History
The table below lists treatment projects in and 90 meters around this grove implemented since 2022. See this map of grove treatments.
| Treatment Type | % of Grove | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Treatments | 0% | 0 |
| Prescribed Fire | 85% | 85.9 |
| Pile Treatments | 0% | 0 |
| Pile Burns | 0% | 0 |
| Replanting | 0% | 0 |
Management Recommendations
The table below provides an estimate of the percentage and acreage of the grove that are recommended for evaluation for treatment based on the Vulnerability Models. See this map of Grove Vulnerability Models.
| Treatment Need | % of Grove | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Fuels Reduction/Restoration | 0% | 0 |
| Reforestation | 0% | 0 |
Salt Creek Ridge Grove
Photos
Salt Creek Ridge Grove
References
- Willard, D. 1994. Giant Sequoia Groves of the Sierra Nevada: A Reference Guide.
- Giant Sequoia Health & Resilience Assessment Glossary
- How to Use the Giant Sequoia Health & Resilience Assessment
- Giant Sequoia Health & Resilience Assessment Analysis Methods
Find more giant sequoia science by searching the GSLC Scientific Publications Library.
Explore more groves or learn about the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition.
Disclaimer
The information presented in the Giant Sequoia Grove Health & Resilience Assessment is intended to supplement on-the-ground knowledge of giant sequoia groves for use in conjunction with current on-the-ground knowledge of grove condition and management activities when planning fuel treatment and reforestation projects. It should not be considered the only source of information about the condition of groves.