Ruth Lake Fire Reduction Project

Summary

SCH Number
2022060469
Public Agency
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)
Document Title
Ruth Lake Fire Reduction Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
6/22/2022
Document Description
The project will create a fire safe community reducing fire hazard through removal of excess vegetation in the Wildland Urban Interface around Ruth Lake, California. With the recent drought years in California, communities like Ruth Lake, have numerous dead hazard trees throughout their area. There are summer cabins and roadways with hazard trees that pose a fire and safety threat to the summer cabins on property owned by the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District. The dead trees identified as a hazard tree around structures and roadways will be felled by a professional tree falling contractor to assure no damage will be done to the cabins and infrastructure. None of the material from the treated trees or brush species will be used for commercial purposes. The larger trees will be limbed and bucked with the material chipped or left on site. The cut brush will be chipped on-site and spread over the ground to help prevent erosion in the future. Vegetation along roads will be treated using a masticator head affixed to an excavator. This equipment will only operate on existing road prism to assure no ground disturbance will occur. These fuel management activities will reduce the volume of flammable vegetation in the area surrounding Ruth Lake thereby reducing the chance for wildfire spread into communities around the lake or for a fire within the communities to spread to adjacent wildlands while also providing safer ingress/egress for fire crews and control features to aid in firefighting efforts.

Contact Information

Name
Tim Meyers
Agency Name
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Job Title
Forester I
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency

Location

Counties
Trinity
Regions
Countywide
Total Acres
1400
Other Location Info
Portions of T1S R7E Sec 19, 29, ,32 & 33; T2S R7E Sec 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14 & 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
This project fits within the descriptions of a Class 4 Categorical Exemption described in CEQA Guidelines pertaining to Minor Alterations to Land. This project will not have a significant effect on the environment and is exempt from the provisions of CEQA. Field review by CAL FIRE staff confirmed that no exceptions apply that would preclude the use of a notice of exemption for this project. The Department has concluded that no significant environmental impact would occur to aesthetics, agriculture and forestland or timberland, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, energy, 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 or traffic, utilities and service systems, or wildfire. Documentation of the environmental review completed by the Department is kept on file at CAL FIRE Humboldt – Del Norte Unit, 118 Fortuna Blvd., Fortuna, CA 95540.

Attachments

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