Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council Hazardous Tree Removal Assistance Project

Summary

SCH Number

2019018379

Public Agency

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)

Document Title

Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council Hazardous Tree Removal Assistance Project

Document Type

NOE - Notice of Exemption

Received

1/22/2019

Posted

1/22/2019

Document Description

The project area is comprised of mixed conifer forests at an elevation of approx 5,000'-6,500' within private lands in the local sphere of influence of the Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council (MRFSC) and Arrowhead Communities Fire Safe Council (ACFSC). Communities that will benefit from this project include Crestline, Green Valley Lake, Arrowbear, Running Springs, Twin Peaks, Skyforest, Rimforest and Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains. This is an area of approx 70,400 acres surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. There are approx 32,000 habitable structures in this area. Dead or dying trees due to bark beetles, drought, or other reasons within defensible space, falling distance to habitable structures or other private property will be removed in order to reduce the fire risk and improve forest health. It is estimated that approx 270 property owners will participate in the program. This project involves hazardous tree felling, chipping of branches (onsite or haul away), and possible removal of logs from the site resulting from tree felling. Trees will either be climbed and cut into sections which will be lowered to the ground using ropes, cut from the ground, or cut utilizing bucket trucks. All branches will be lopped and/or chipped onsite and/or hauled away. All cutting will be done using chainsaws and contract crews. If tree logs need to be removed from the project site, then the logs will be cut into firewood size lengths and removed by hand to minimize ground disturbance. All trees will be felled in the least ground-disturbing manner feasible. All work vehicles and ground based equipment will stay on existing road prisms, driveways, and developed areas.

Contact Information

Name

Henry Herrera

Agency Name

Cal Fire

Contact Types

Lead/Public Agency

Address

3800 N. Sierra Way
San Bernardino, CA 92405

Phone

(909) 881-6955

Location

Counties

San Bernardino

Township

var

Range

var

Section

var

Base

var

Notice of Exemption

Exempt Status

Categorical Exemption

Type, Section or Code

15304 minor alterations to land

Reasons for Exemption

15304 (i): Fuel management activities within 30 ft 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 ft of a structure if the public agency having fire protection responsibility for the area has determined that 100 ft of fuel clearance is required due to extra hazardous fire conditions. Field review by Tim Mortin, RPF #2505, confirmed that no exceptions apply which would preclude the use of a NOE for this project. The RPF has concluded that no significant environmental impact would occur to aesthetics, agriculture and forestland/timberland, air quality, biological 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 HQ in San Bernardino.

Attachments

Notice of Exemption

2019018379 PDF 64 K

Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, 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. For more information, please visit OPR’s Accessibility Site.

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.

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