FWS Forestry Services California, LLC, “McKinney Fire Reforestation” – Phase 1 (Morrison)
Summary
SCH Number
2023100734
Public Agency
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
(CAL FIRE)
Document Title
FWS Forestry Services California, LLC, “McKinney Fire Reforestation” – Phase 1 (Morrison)
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
10/25/2023
Document Description
CAL FIRE would provide funding to expedite priority restoration measures in moderate to high severity burn areas on 80 acres of area burned in the 2022 McKinney wildfire. Activities will include, but are not limited to, mechanical and/or hand crew site prep, mastication, herbicide pre and post spray, planting, netting, piling, and burning. Herbicides will be applied to brush before mastication to facilitate the effectiveness of mastication and following mastication of resprouting species to increase the effectiveness of regeneration. Trees will not be removed unless they are a hazard to the road or personnel.
The project area is flat to moderately sloped (0 - 50%). It is a burned landscape with historically open to moderately dense mixed conifer stands and brush. The watercourses have been flagged and will be protected as per ASP Forest Practice Rules. The erosion hazard is moderate. There are no known occurrences of plant or animal species listed as Threatened, Rare, or Endangered, either under ESA or CESA, within the project area. There are no known historic or cultural sites located within the project vicinity. Funding supports the broader goal of post fire recovery and forest health and resiliency. The project supports a local workforce within a census designated priority population. In addition to the short-term benefit of restoring and reforesting severely burned forested acres, implementation of the project would promote resilience in the natural ecosystem services, such as overall watershed improvements through improved regulation of surface runoff and groundwater infiltration, increased uptake of carbon dioxide, provide for slope stabilization, and restoration of lost forest-based habitat for species that rely upon these environments.
Contact Information
Name
Shannon Johnson
Agency Name
California Department of Foresty and Fire Protection
Job Title
Staff Chief
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Counties
Siskiyou
Regions
Countywide
Total Acres
80
Other Location Info
Portions of T46N, R09W, Sec. 36 MDBM
Other Information
The project is in the Klamath Mountains between Yreka and Scott bar, South of Klamath River and North of Fort Jones, CA.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Declared Emergency
Type, Section or Code
Sec. 21080(b)(3); 15269(a)
Reasons for Exemption
Pursuant to CEQA Section 21080(b)(3) and CEQA Guidelines Section 15269(a) a project is exempt from CEQA when it “maintain[s], repair[s], restore[s]… property or facilities damaged or destroyed as a result of a disaster in a disaster stricken area in which a state of emergency has been proclaimed by the Governor pursuant to the California Emergency Services Act, commencing with Section 8550 of the Government Code.” Implementation of the project would restore forested landscapes, restore carbon sequestration capacity of targeted forested landscapes, restore and increase capacity as it relates to above and below ground carbon storage, and restore forest habitat destroyed by the McKinney Fire. The action is therefore exempt from CEQA because it would restore property damaged or destroyed as a result of a disaster for which a state of emergency was proclaimed, pursuant to CEQA Section 21080(b)(3) and CEQA Guidelines Section 15269(a).
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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