Bureau of Land Management Travis Ranch Hazardous Fuels Reduction
Summary
SCH Number
2023120605
Public Agency
Trinity County Resource Conservation District
Document Title
Bureau of Land Management Travis Ranch Hazardous Fuels Reduction
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
12/21/2023
Document Description
The Travis Ranch will implement fuels reduction and oak woodland restoration activities on 32 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in southern Trinity County, with funding provided by a CAL FIRE California Climate Investment (CCI) forest health grant in 2022. Project treatments will reduce fuels and aid healthy forest regeneration in an area impacted by the 2020 August Wildfire Complex. Reducing the accumulation of dead woody material is a critical management priority in the project area because residual fuels will act to increase the overall severity of fire events in the future. Salvage logging operations were conducted on the Travis Ranch and adjacent BLM lands in 2021 to begin addressing this need. The cut, pile, and burn treatments proposed constitute the next important step. They are designed to protect stands by lowering the height of live flame and overall heat output of any subsequent fire. Thinning stands of smaller diameter trees and pruning limbs on fire damaged trees will reduce stand density, alleviate competitive pressures, and improve spacing. Retained trees will thus achieve larger diameters in less time, have greater ability to sequester carbon, and be more resilient to future wildfire. The project area is near homes, critical infrastructure, and along the primary egress route for the area. Combined with reforestation, these treatments will promote a well-stocked, diverse forestland that acts as a carbon sink and supports watershed health within these important headwaters.
Contact Information
Name
Bethany Llewellyn
Agency Name
Trinity County Resource Conservation District
Job Title
Program Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Name
Nick Robinson
Agency Name
Timberland Resource Consultants
Job Title
Forestry Program Director
Contact Types
Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Location
Counties
Trinity
Regions
Northern California, Unincorporated
Zip
95552
Total Acres
32
Other Location Info
HM T5S R8E, S14 and MDM T25N R12W S07
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
State code 4799.05
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Public Resources Code section 4799.05(d), which exempts state funding of projects undertaken on federal lands that consist of prescribed fire, thinning, or fuel reduction to reduce the risk of high-severity wildfire. This exemption is applicable only for projects that have been reviewed under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and if the Secretary for Natural Resources has certified that NEPA and laws that affect management of federal forest lands in California have not been substantially amended since August 31, 2018. On April 12, 2021, the Secretary for Natural Resources made the necessary certification. The proposed project was reviewed in the Determination of NEPA Adequacy (DNA) Travis Ranch Hazardous Fuels Reduction, dated 3/28/2023 (DOI-BLM-CA-N030-2023-0016-DNA), available at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2023607/570. Accordingly, CAL FIRE funding of the proposed project is exempt from CEQA under Section 4799.05.
County Clerk
Trinity
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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