Muniz Ranches Property Owners Association Fire Prevention Project-Phase 2 - 2017-2019

Muniz Ranches Property Owners Association Fire Prevention Project-Phase 2 - 2017-2019

This fuels reduction-shaded fuel break project is located along portions of Muniz Ranch Road (a private road), situated on a ridgetop in western Sonoma County, 2.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Vegetation in the project area is predominantly Douglas-fir and redwood trees that are competing with overstocked hardwoods (mostly tanoak) and brush. All work will be performed in accordance to the Forest Practice Rules, County and Coastal Commission regulations. There will be no work performed in a WLPZ, ELZ, or EEZ protected area. Hardwoods will be treated with a County approved herbicide, under strict regulations by a Certified Pesticide Applicant, to control regrowth and maintain project objectives for a longer period of time. All target species (mostly tanoak) 1 inches or greater will be treated, up to a max diameter of approx 20 inches DBH. Applicators will leave one untreated oversized tree per 9 conifers to maintain a 9:1 conifer hardwood ratio in the stand. A sample area will be marked by the advising forester or under supervision by a forester to illustrate the desired leave stand condition. Treatment will include the use of chainsaws, handsaws, a chipper, and possibly a masticator (depending on slope) to remove ladder fuels from a 15-acre area approx 40 ft from each side of approx 6,000 ft of Muniz Ranch Rd. During project implementation mostly brush (but also dead or dying trees) will be removed. Thickets of small trees (hardwoods, redwood and Douglas-fir up to 12 inches) will be thinned and pruned. The result will be a shaded fuel break with a leave tree stand (including seedlings) that will have a range of spacing between 15x15 to 20x20 ft. Leave trees will be pruned to a height of 15 ft to reduce additional ladder fuels. Overall, slash treatment objectives are to reduce fuel loading and will meet or exceed the standards for slash disposal in the Forest Practice Rules by the end of the project contract. All debris will generally be chipped and spread over the landscape near the road or (on steeper slopes) lopped and scattered.

Sonoma