Loch Lomond Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project - CE22-09
Summary
SCH Number
2022020506
Public Agency
Lake County
Document Title
Loch Lomond Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project - CE22-09
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
2/23/2022
Document Description
This project is being funded by a CAL FIRE, Forest Health Grant utilizing funding from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The project proposes to remove hazardous vegetation in CALFIRE's highest priority areas in Lake County, where Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) fuel loads have created dangerous conditions and increased risk of catastrophic wildfire. Some of the identified fuel loads are a result of previous catastrophic wildfires; the Valley Fire (Sept. 2015) and the Mendocino Complex Fire (July 2018).
CLERC plans to work with landowners and contractors to conduct fuels management, forest health, and prescribed fire work in the designated treatment areas (see Appendix A for a map of the project area). The goals of the work are three fold: curtail the spread of pine beetles by removing dead trees (mostly ponderosa pine); reduce the potential severity of future wildland fires and improve forest health by thinning ladder fuels and reducing surface fuels; and create fuel breaks along roads and near
subdivisions. No live, healthy trees 16"dbh or larger will be removed. Slash will be piled and burned in appropriate locations, cut up for free firewood, chipped, or lopped and scattered. Fuel reduction activities will avoid:
• Sensitive habitat, including riparian areas or wetlands.
• Cultural and historic sites.
• Disturbance to individual specimens of rare, threatened, or endangered species.
• Ground disturbance that could result in sediment delivery to watercourses.
Fuel reduction activities will be carried out using a variety of methods including mastication, hand crews, chipping, grazing, hand piling and machine piling, dozers and prescribed burning. Overall ground disturbance will be kept to a minimum and stumps will not be removed or disturbed. No more than 1 cubic meter of soil will be disturbed per acre, in conformance with CAL FIRE's guidelines. Any trees removed will be removed using the Tree Mortality Task Force Guidelines, 2016. No new roads or trails will be constructed. There will be no disturbance of known rare, threatened or endangered species or significant cultural resources.
Contact Information
Name
Victor Fernandez
Agency Name
County of Lake
Job Title
Associate Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Cities
Loch Lomond
Regions
Northern California
Cross Streets
Harrington Flat Road
Zip
95426
Parcel #
011-068-51, 011-037-08, 011-037-09, 011-022-16, 011-068-46, 011-068-72, 0101-068-71, 011-066-30
State Highways
N/A
Railways
n/a
Airports
N/A
Schools
N/A
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Emergency Project
Type, Section or Code
Sec. 21080(b)(4); 15269(b)(c)
Reasons for Exemption
This fuel reduction project focuses on management of the excessive fuel loads around the Wildland Urban Interface in Lake County. It is directly related to several catastrophic wildfires that the County has endured, two of which were declared emergencies. The Valley Fire was declared an emergency on September 13, 2015 and The Mendocino Complex was declared an emergency on July 28, 2018.
Additionally, the existing and prolonged drought conditions in the State are contributing to the increased rick of catastrophic stand-replacing wildfire and increased risk of loss of life and property. Several Proclamations of State of Emergency related to extreme DROUGHT conditions and increased risk of catastrophic wildfire have been issued by Governor Gavin Newsom. The project meets the criteria for emergency exemptions because it will maintain and repair
property damaged by wildfire, protect public facilities essential to public health and safety, and wild prevent or mitigate future and imminent wildfire emergencies. The Lake County Community Development Department finds that this project complies with the intent and overall direction of the State Proclamations of Emergency and is thereby exempt from the provisions of CEQA.
County Clerk
Lake
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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