Social and Ecological Resilience Across the Landscape (SERAL) Phase 1 (SNC1374)
Summary
SCH Number
2024080029
Public Agency
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Document Title
Social and Ecological Resilience Across the Landscape (SERAL) Phase 1 (SNC1374)
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
8/1/2024
Document Description
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) will provide funding to Tuolumne County to implement fuel treatment across approximately 800 acres of private lands within 250 feet of roadways to create a 500-foot wide shaded fuel break. The fuel break will consist of a 150-foot inner core, where treatment is more intensive, and a 100-foot outer core that will contain more elements of the pre-treatment stand. Treatment activities will include mastication of shrubs, brush and trees, up to 10" DBH, as well as hand cutting and piling or cutting and lop and scatter on areas that are inaccessible to equipment. All activities will occur after surveys for sensitive resources have been completed and no activities will occur in the vicinity of sensitive biological or cultural resources. The project is designed to complement the adjacent Social and Ecological Resilience Across the Landscape (SERAL) project, which involves work along the same roadways on adjacent US Forest Service lands to achieve landscape-level forest health and resilience.
Contact Information
Name
Mary Akens
Agency Name
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Job Title
General Counsel
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Cedar Ridge, Jupiter, Mount Knight, Twain Harte
Counties
Tuolumne
Regions
Northern California
Other Location Info
Unincorporated Tuolumne County, 3 miles north of Twain Harte, 3 miles east of Douglas Flat
Other Information
project is also in unincorporated areas
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
State CEQA Guidelines Section 15304 (Class 4 – Minor Alterations to Land)
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed project is categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA pursuant to
State CEQA Guidelines Section 15304 (Class 4). Class 4 is applicable to projects that
consist of minor public or private alterations in the condition of land, water, and/or
vegetation which do not involve removal of mature, scenic trees except for forestry and agricultural purposes. The minor land alterations proposed by the project involve the removal of brush and trees near roadways on approximately 800 acres of private land. Although tree removal would occur, it would be limited to trees up to 10 inches in diameter at breast height to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health, consistent with the criteria of qualifying projects under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15304 (Class 4). SNC has independently evaluated the project and determined that the exceptions listed in CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 do not apply to the project.
County Clerk
Tuolumne
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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