Green Gate Run Shaded Fuel Break

Summary

SCH Number
2021120101
Public Agency
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)
Document Title
Green Gate Run Shaded Fuel Break
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
12/7/2021
Document Description
The purpose of this project is to improve the ingress and egress of fire engines, reduce wildfire risk, and aid in fire suppression activities through roadside fuel reduction treatments along 1.2 miles of dirt road (15 acres) that traverses through state property and private property, approximately 6 miles southeast of the town of Willits. This project would tie together the Howard Forest VMP and Laughlin Peak Accesses Road fuel reduction projects. Connecting these two projects would provide an effective fire break if a roadside fire on Highway 101 were to extend deep into the wildland. The project area consists of mostly oak woodland intermixed with semi open grasslands, shrubs and conifers. Vegetation will be thinned and pruned 50 feet from either side of the road. Work will be completed using manual treatment methods (no off-road heavy equipment proposed). Woody materials will be dragged by hand to a chipper parked on the existing roadway or would be masticated on the dirt road by a tracked skid steer with masticator head. Hand crews will employ chainsaws, pole saws, string-trimmers, and hand tools to remove small trees, brush, and surface/ground fuels. Live trees, less than 10” diameter breast height (DBH), will be removed to improve tree spacing. Dead or live trees of any size that pose a safety hazard to the roadway or firefighters will be removed. Trees larger than 10” DBH that are removed will be felled and buck and left on site or masticated from the existing road surface. All material removed will be treated on site no material will be processed for commercial purposes. Live trees greater than 10” DBH will be pruned to provide for a minimum vertical clearance of 10 feet.

Contact Information

Name
Pablo Anguiano
Agency Name
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Job Title
Forestry Assistant II
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency

Location

Counties
Mendocino
Regions
Northern California
Total Acres
15
Other Location Info
Portions of T17N R13W Sec 9 MDBM
Other Information
Approximately 6 miles southeast of the town of Willits

Notice of Exemption

Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 4 § 15304 Minor Alterations to Land
Reasons for Exemption
The project meets the requirements of a CEQA Article 19 Class 4 Categorical exemption “Minor Alterations to Land” (Section 15304, Public Resources Code) as the proposed fuel management activities entail understory brush removal, 10 “DBH or less tree removal, thinning, pruning, chipping, masticating on existing roadway, and dead/tree removal to improve access of fire engines and reduce volume of flammable vegetation. As such, CAL FIRE has concluded that no significant environmental impact would occur to aesthetics, agriculture and forestland/timberland, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, energy, and 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. No exceptions apply (Section 15300.2) which would preclude the use of a Notice of Exemption for this project. Documentation of the environmental review completed by the Department is kept on file at CAL FIRE Mendocino Unit, Resource Management, 17501 N. Highway 101, Willits, CA 95490, Attn. Environmental Coordinator.

Attachments

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