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$1,700 Per Day 'Gold Rush' As Tree Cutters Rush To Clear Dead Trees From Sierra

KCBS_740TRUCKEE (KCBS) -- Here's a quote about where you can find work and make money: "There is a Gold Rush for those of us who are willing to bust ass."

The line comes from a tree cutter who charges $1,700 a day to cut down dead trees in the Sierra Nevada.  He told the Los Angeles Times he and his crews are scrambling to get as much dead wood cut as they can before winter settles in.

Some of these trees are hundreds of years old—killed by a combination of droughts, warming temperatures, and beetle infestations.

The Forest Service estimates there are 24-million dead trees in the southern half of the Sierra—meaning that tree cutter and others will be busy for some time to come.

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