Cabbage Patch Restoration Project

Cabbage Patch Restoration Project

The Sierra Nevada Conservancy would provide funding to Upper Moklumne River Watershed Authority to implement the Cabbage Patch Restoration Project. The project is an element of the larger Cornerstone Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (390,904 acres). Project activities are planned in the Long, Hay, Horse, Middle and Water Gulch drainages that flow into the Mokelumne River upstream of Pardee Reservoir. The project area is a high priority area for fuels treatments due to sense, overstocked, homogeneous forested conditions that are susceptible to mortality from drought, pests, pathogens, and catastrophic wildfire. The project will include mechanical thinning of natural forest stands (mastication) and hand treatments, including hand piling. Hand thinning of tees less than 10 inches diameter at breast height (dbh) will be based on Forest Service descriptions of priorities for removal and desired tree spacing. Slash shall either be lopped and scattered or piled per Forest Service specifications. Mechanically thin plantations to a density prescribed by Forest Service. Brush and trees less than 10 inches dbh would be masticated, removed, and or/piled and burned. Trees 10-16 inches dbh may be removed where needed to achieve fuel reduction and silvcultural objectives. The proposed project is designed in accordance with the Hemlock Landscape Restoration Project Environmental Assessment to treat forest stands at various densities as part of a landscape level fuels management program. Implementation of the project will include improving ecological resilience of forested communities on 905 acres of the Stanislaus National Forest through forest meadow and aspen restoration, and fuels management treatments. SNC has independently reviewed the environmental documentation prepared by the lead agency and determined that the project would not result in a significant environmental impact.

Calaveras