Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council Community Chipper Days Project
Summary
SCH Number
2017068479
Public Agency
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
(CAL FIRE)
Document Title
Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council Community Chipper Days Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
6/26/2017
Document Description
This project will assist homeowners in creating defensible space on their property and reducing the fire risk through curbside chipping. The Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council (MRFSC) will schedule "chipper days" for homeowners to take the vegetation cut to create defensible space to the curbside to be chipped back onto the property or chipped into a truck and hauled away. All ground based equipment will stay on existing roads. Aiding property owners with parcels of less than five acres for defensible space and hazard abatement will promote fuel reduction continuity to already existing programs in adjacent neighborhoods and communities. The MRFSC will provide fire safety education through handout distribution, emails, Facebook postings, MRFSC's website and at various events. Curbside chipping will take place along the roads within the MRFSC's communities that are surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest from Crestline to Green Valley Lake and Waterman Canyon. These areas consist of mixed conifer forests and chaparral. The elevation ranges from approximately 2,000 to 6,000 feet. There are approximately 25,000 habitable structures in the state responsibility area served by the MRFSC covering approximately 70,400 acres. It is anticipated that approximately 50 cumulative acres spread throughout the communities will be treated annually. This project will take place on an annual basis as long as funding is available.
Contact Information
Name
Henry Herrera
Agency Name
Cal Fire
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Counties
San Bernardino
Other Information
Sec: 22, 31-34
Township: 2N
Range: 2W
Sec: 1, 18-20, 26-30
Township: 2N
Range: 3W
Sec: 4-6
Township: 1N
Range: 2W
Sec: 1
Township: 1N
Range: 3W
Sec: 13-28, 34
Township: 2N
Range: 4W
Sec: 2,3
Township: 1N
Range: 4W
Base: SBBM
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
S: 15304, Class 4
Reasons for Exemption
This project fits under the Class 4 (Minor Alterations to Land) Categorical Exemptions to CEQA. Class 4 is described as a "minor public or private alterations in the condition of land, water, and/or vegetation which do not involve removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees except for forestry or agricultural purposes." This project as proposed is to chip vegetation only and does not remove healthy, mature, or scenic trees.
15304 (i): 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 of fuel clearance is required due to extra hazardous fire conditions.
Field review by Tim Morin, RPF #2505, confirmed that no exceptions apply which would prelude the use of a Notice of Exemption for this project. The RPF has concluded that no significant environmental impact would occur to aesthetics, agriculture and forestland/timberland, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use planning, mineral resources, noise, population and housing, public services, recreation, transportation/traffic, or to utilities and service systems. Documentation of the environmental review completed by the RPF is kept on file at CAL FIRE's BDU Headquarters in San Bernardino.
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.