Fire Resources

Resources for Livestock Operators Impacted Fire

Farm Service Agency Livestock Producer Resources -

Livestock producers impacted by the wildfires with forage loss, infrastructure loss (e.g. fence, barns, water systems), cattle death and more should contact their local FSA office. Click here for the resource guide to learn more.

Lassen, Plumas and Sierra Counties Farm Service Agency (530) 257-4127)

Butte County Farm Service Agency (530) 534-0112)

Find your local Farm Service Agency Office by clicking here.

Cattle Loss - If you lost cattle due to fire or burn injuries and may seek financial compensation from the Farm Service Agency you MUST have cattle loss verified by a 3rd Party. UC Cooperative Extension is an approved 3rd party and can assist you with this process, please contact:

Butte, Plumas or Sierra County: Tracy Schohr, 916-716-2643

Lassen County: David Lile at 530-251-6673

Tehama County: Josh Davy at 530-527-3101

Find your local cooperative extension livestock advisor by clicking here.

Access - Commercial livestock operators who need to move cattle out of the fire's path and need access in Butte, Plumas and Sierra counties should contact Tracy Schohr, UC Cooperative Extension Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor at 916-716-2643. She can assist you with coordinating with law enforcement personnel.

How will a Fire Affect Annual Rangeland and What Should You Consider Doing? This UC Cooperative Extension Special Announcement by Livestock and Range Advisors Josh Davy and Larry Forero discusses need and strategies for post fire seeding. Grass fires that occur in July and later should have little effect on mature seed laying on the soil surface, negating much benefit in seeding. However, with early season fire or brush fires there are considerations for seeding to help promote desired vegetation and to prevent rapid reinvasion of weedy grasses. Click here to read more.

Wildfires, Smoke and Livestock - University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine provides overview of wildfires impacts on animals from burns and inhalation of unhealthy air containing smoke and particulates. Click here to read more on affects and treatment.

Wildfire Impacts on Water Quality - When the Camp Fire burned at the top of the Butte Creek Watershed ranchers wondered if it was safe for their cattle to drink the water flowing downstream. UC Cooperative Extension advisors searched literature for answers, but recognizing a void, Tracy Schohr set out to collect water samples for analysis. We have received lab results from multiple weeks of stream water quality monitoring taken before and after the winter storms following the Camp Fire. Toxicology analysis showed that the metal concentrations were unremarkable for 4 locations below the Camp Fire that provide livestock drinking water. Click here to learn more.

Wildfire Ash: Impacts on Forage Crops - UC Cooperative Extension in 2018 researched the impacts of wildfire ash deposition on crops grazed or harvested for livestock feed. Though there were some compounds of interest and a few high levels of heavy metals detected in our samples, results were generally unremarkable and did not suggest that wildfire ash was consistently associated with heavy metals in forages. Click here to learn more.

Estimating the Cost of Replacing Forage Losses - Valuable forage was lost in fires. UC Cooperative Extension has develop a tool to help you estimate forage losses.

Tax Implications - How to Handle Property Casualties in the Wake of Disaster, K·Coe Editorial, August 25, 2020 Click here to read.