Shelter Cove 1 SFB

Shelter Cove 1 SFB

Project proposes to construct 15 acre shaded fuel break along the northern edge of a rural residential community of Shelter Cove. Shelter Cove is an isolated community on the Northern California coastline located nearly due west of Garberville and highway 101. Creating a shaded fuel break will alter the volume, type, and continuity of vegetation which will change the behavior of a potential wildfire entering the zone. Brush, shrubs, and small trees will be removed in order to eliminate fire ladder fuels and increase spacing between tree crowns. The reduced fuel zone will lessen the chance of a fire to carry through the area and increase the likelihood that crews would be able to extinguish or hold a fire from spreading. This project will allow crews to utilize hand tools, weed eaters, chainsaws, and chippers, to reduce hazardous fuels with a combination of treatments. Treatments may include weed whacking, brush removal, limb removal, chipping, lop and scatter, and the removal of small trees within the Shaded fuel break. Eight inches is the maximum tree diameter at breast height (DBH) to be removed. Remaining trees will be limbed to reduce ladder fuels. The vegetation type in the project vicinity consists of dense trees and shrubs interspersed with small grassy areas. Dominant species include tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), grand fir (Abies grandes), coyote brush (Baccharis pulularis) blue blossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus), Evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) wax myrtyle (Myrica californica) and various seasonal and perennial grasses.

Humboldt