How long do you think it will take California to recover from the fires?

Question

How long does it take the ground to recover before you can begin replacing the much needed forest/trees?

x00x: I don't even know why I ask Yahoo questions when so many people are uninformed.

http://inciweb.org/incident/1002/

I clearly made reference to the forest because while I realize homes and businesses have been destroyed, the trees are the eco system I am making reference to. We do have an issue with clean air in California and global warming world-wide. sheesh, why do I bother when so many people watch more American Idol than reading what the heck is going on in our world. Go back and watch Dancing with the Stars.

Answer 1

Isn't it the forest/trees that are burning to begin with?
Recovery time can vary drastically. After the Oakland hills fire, there was regrowth of plant life(the beginning of) after just 2-4 weeks in the affected area. However, it's notable that there are still areas where things to this day, have a hard time growing. On the whole, I'd say It'll probably show considerable signs of recovery within a year. Now for the insurance claims....
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Edit
Perhaps then you should next time restate the initial question in a format such as "How long will it take for the California ecosystem to recover from the wildfires?"
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As I stated before, the initial plant growth can begin in as little as 2 weeks. 6-12 months later, the landscape will be green again, and the full forest regrowth will be anywhere from 10-40 years, depending on growing conditions in the afflicted areas.

Answer 2

The forest will replenish itself; the ground doesn't need to "recover." Fire is a natural part of a forest's cycle (some kinds of trees' cones only propogate when heated by fire).

That being said, it will take a long time. It's been 15 years since the Oakland hills fire, and the pine and eucalyptus trees are only now at the same height and density they were before the fire.