Trinity Community Protection and Landscape Resilience Project- Phase 2
Summary
SCH Number
2020110153
Public Agency
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
(CAL FIRE)
Document Title
Trinity Community Protection and Landscape Resilience Project- Phase 2
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
11/9/2020
Present Land Use
Rural
Document Description
The Watershed Research and Training Center (WRTC) plans to implement fuels reduction and prescribed burning activities on the Bar 717 Ranch, near Hyampom, CA. Hazardous fuel reduction and prescribed fire is the primary treatment proposed throughout the project area. Using CCI Forest Health Grant funds, the WRTC plans to implement prescribed burning treatments on approximately 179 acres over the next 3-5 years. The primary goal of this project is to return a natural fire regime back to this fire adapted landscape. Pre-burn fuel treatments that help to minimize fire intensities, especially adjacent to critical infrastructure and control lines, will occur where necessary on the property. Pre-fire treatments will include fuels reduction in the form of hand thinning (with chainsaws) to remove suppressed trees (less than 8” DBH) and brush/shrubs in strategic locations to reduce fire intensities and protect residual trees. All prescribed burning will be completed under a prescribed fire burn plan approved by the State Fire Management Officer. Burn units are subdivided by natural features on the landscape utilizing, roads, trails, ditches, and watercourses to facilitate control efforts, and manage smoke impacts based on burn day smoke dispersion. By utilizing existing features on the property, no new dozer lines or hand lines are needed keeping ground disturbance to a minimum. Broadcast burning will be implemented during appropriate environmental conditions that will allow us to meet our resource objectives as per the prescribed fire burn plan. Burns will be conducted using hand ignition and other standard prescribed fire methods. Burn prescriptions would aim to reduce surface fuel loading 25-85% and understory woody vegetative cover by 15-65% from pre-burn levels.
Contact Information
Name
Julie Howard
Agency Name
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Name
Agency Name
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Location
Counties
Trinity
Total Acres
179
Other Location Info
Portions of: T03N R07E, Sec 13, 14, 22, 23, and 24 Humboldt Base and Meridian
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 4 § 15304 Minor Alterations to Land
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed project qualifies for a Categorical Exemption under CEQA Guidelines Section 15304. Pursuant to Section 15304, Class 4 consists of minor private alterations of vegetation which do not involve removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees. The project involves removal of small diameter understory trees and brush species to reduce the vertical and horizontal continuity of forest fuels. The trees being removed are in a suppressed state and are not considered healthy.
Field review by CAL FIRE staff confirmed that no exceptions apply which would preclude the use of a Notice of Exemption for this project. The project consists of minor treatments to land and vegetation in the form of hand thinning and understory broadcast burning via hand crews. The activities do not result in the taking of endangered, rare, or threatened plant or animal species, or sedimentation to surface waters. This project will not convert forestland to non-forest uses, and all treated vegetation will have the ability to grow back. The Department 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, utilities and service systems, or to wildfire. Documentation of the environmental review completed by the Department is kept on file at CAL FIRE Headquarters in Sacramento.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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