Cuesta Camp County-Wide Exempt Conservation & Training Projects (Cutting & Chipping)

Cuesta Camp County-Wide Exempt Conservation & Training Projects (Cutting & Chipping)

The objective of these projects is the reduction in fire hazard. Depending on the vegetation present the level of treatment can vary from the removal of all shrubs to the creation of a shaded fuelbreak where residual trees and shrubs are spaced out 10-15 feet apart. The most common level of treatment involves creation of a fuelbreak where ½ to 2/3 of the existing vegetation is removed within the designated areas. The most common fuelbreak width for these projects is 100-150 feet wide. Roadside treatments are also common and involve removal of vegetation within the road right-of-way for a width of 10-50 feet on each side. In average years, less than 80 acres are treated county-wide by this method. Crews sometimes chip vegetation immediately after cutting but more commonly, vegetation is "staged" or stacked in a manner that will facilitate efficient chipping at a later time. Depending on the project, chips are disposed of both on and off site as agreed. No heavy equipment use is authorized under this document. A CAL FIRE Archaeologist will review the project to prevent impacts to cultural resources. A query of the natural Diversity Database will be performed for each project area to check for the presence of listed plants or animals. DFG will be consulted for input as necessary on individual projects. Chips will not be deposited within the standard width of a watercourse or lake protection zone. This exemption will be reevaluated every five years.

San Luis Obispo

Countywide