Neveda County Fire Hazard Reduction Project Public Resources Code 4291: Defensible Space Chipping Support
Summary
SCH Number
1999128029
Public Agency
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
(CAL FIRE)
Document Title
Neveda County Fire Hazard Reduction Project Public Resources Code 4291: Defensible Space Chipping Support
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
12/3/1999
Document Description
The Nevada County Fire Hazard Reduction Project, Public Resources Code 4291: Defensible Space Chipping Support, entails the use of chippers primarily provided by private contractors to treat vegetative material removed by residents in these areas in accordance with Public Resources Code 4291. The residents place the material they cut from their property at the edge of the adjacent road or driveway. The chipper crew hand loads the material into the chipper. The chipped material is then deposited back onto the property where the material was stacked. PRC 4291 requires "any person who owns, leases, controls, or maintains any building or structure in, upon, or adjoining any mountainous area of forest covered lands, brush covered lands, or grass covered lands, or any land covered with flammable material, shall at all times do all of the following:
a. Maintain around and adjacent to such building or
structure a firebreak made by removing and clearing
away, for a distance of not less than 30 feet on each
side thereof or to property line which ever is nearer,
all flammable vegetation of other combustible growth.
(Other provisions in PRC 4291 include removable of
other vegetative material near and about the
structure)
Residents who utilize the program are required to clear the vegetation around their structure (s), in compliance with PRC 4291, and place the cut material at the edge of their propertty near the road. Before the chipper program, the resident's preferred method of treatment was to pile and burn. Pile burning can result in fire escapes and air quality problems. Chipping the material offers a safer and cleaner method of treatment.
Contact Information
Name
Ken Rowe or Tony Clarabut
Agency Name
Department of Forestry And Fire Protection (CDF)
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Counties
Nevada
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Section 15304
Reasons for Exemption
The project is catergorically exempt from CEQA because the project merely treats vegetation that has already been removed by residents in accordance with PRC 4291, which is exempt under "Minor Alterations to Land, 15304(i) ." There is no ground disturbance as the chipper accesses the material to be chipped from the existing roads and cut brush is hand loaded into the chipper. Chipped material is then blown back onto the property where the material stacked. A search of the Natural Diversity Data Bank was not done for this project since the cutting of the brush is totally voluntary and is performed by the landowners to conform with PRC 4291 requirements. It is anticipated that the project would not impact listed species as the project entails hand loading of material ( cut by residents under CEQA categorical exemption "Minor Alterations to Land 15304 (i) into the chipper and the depostion of chipped material where the brush was orginally stacked by the resident. It is presumed that the action of cutting the vegetative material by the residents will not significantly impact listed species as the residents are treating the relatively small area around structures prescribed in PRC 4291. Archaeological sites are not anticipated to be impacted by the project for the same reasons.
15305(i) covers: Fuel management activities within 30 feet of structures to reduce the volume of flammable vegetation, provided that the activities will not result in the taking of endangered, rare, or threatened plant or animal species or significant erosion and sedimentation of surface waters. This exemption shall apply to fuel management activities within 100 feet of a structure if the public agency having fire protection responsibility for the area has determined that 100 feet o fuel clearance is required due to extra hazardous fire conditions.
Disclaimer: The document was originally posted before CEQAnet had the capability to host attachments for the public. To obtain the original attachments for this document, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. You may also contact the OPR via email at state.clearinghouse@opr.ca.gov or via phone at (916) 445-0613.