Grassland Prescribed Fire at City of Davis South Fork Preserve
Summary
SCH Number
2024091000
Public Agency
Yolo County Resource Conservation District
Document Title
Grassland Prescribed Fire at City of Davis South Fork Preserve
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
9/25/2024
Document Description
The prescribed burn at the City of Davis South Fork Preserve will be a low-intensity broadcast burn to manage vegetation and invasive weeds in accordance with restoration plans created by City of Davis Open Spaces. The site is a preserve site owned and managed by the City of Davis. The burn unit is a 19-acre grassland with sporadic oak trees scattered throughout. The oak trees inside the unit will be limbed to remove ladder fuels and will be protected with mowed buffer areas and water.
The prescribed fire, which is expected to occur in Fall 2024, and may be conducted in spring or subsequent years, will be planned in accordance With permitting required by the Yolo Solano Air Quality Management District. The City of Davis Fire Department will be on-site during the burn for contingency and increased capacity. The burn unit's containment lines will be created with a dozer and/or box scrape by staff at the City of Davis and will be a width of 10 feet. Additionally, the burn unit will contain burn piles consisting of materials from burn unit prep, primarily tree limbs from limited ladder fuels of oak trees. The brush piles will be positioned towards the middle of the unit and burned soon after piled, limiting time for wildlife to utilize as habitat. Yolo County RCD staff will shift and survey piles prior to burning to ensure piles are free of wildlife.
A biological assessment conducted by the Yolo County Resource Conservation District (RCD) concluded that there are no sensitive flora or fauna species within the project site except for an aquatic species that won't be impacted by fire. The prescribed burn unit is an upland floodplain unit that rarely contains water except during high stormwater flows. There are a number of sensitive animal species, including threatened bird and insect populations, which could occur within a one-to-five-mile radius outside of the project site. Volo County RCD staff will perform
wildlife surveys in the weeks leading up to the burn to ensure species are not found within the project site and will coordinate with biologists at the City of Davis.
Low to moderate intensity fire results in levels of disturbance that are beneficial to California native ecosystems and the species that comprise them. Any trees within the project boundary are not expected to be impacted by low-intensity broadcast burning.
Contact Information
Name
Heather Nichols
Agency Name
Yolo County Resource Conservation District
Job Title
Executive Director
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Davis
Counties
Yolo
Regions
Citywide
Cross Streets
Mace Blvd and South Levee Rd
Zip
95618
Parcel #
033-260-005
Other Location Info
28875 County Road 104 Davis, CA 95618
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 4, Section 15304- Minor Alterations to Land
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed project is a low-intensity prescribed burn to improve grassland and oak savanna by removing invasive weeds, with a broader goal of improving community wildfire resiliency through raised awareness and training about prescribed burning as a land management and pest management tool. The proposed unit is located amongst rural agricultural and riparian land in Yolo County and is historically categorized as riparian oak savannah and grassland. The burn plan will identify hazard mitigation tactics and ensure the conservation of ecological and cultural resources. To define the perimeter of the burn, site preparation for the project may include mowing or box scraping with a tractor along existing roads. Under the specified prescription, the burn will be low intensity and have minimal heat resulting in the combustion of fine fuels and burn piles only.
Project implementation will not result in significant adverse impact on endangered, rare or threatened species. The project will principally be carried out with hand tools and not mechanized equipment and will result in revegetation that will improve habitat for native wildlife and pollinators. It has been concluded that no significant adverse environmental impacts would occur to aesthetics, agriculture and forest resources, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, energy, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use and planning, mineral resources, noise, populations and housing, public services, recreation, transportation and traffic, utilities and service systems, or wildfire. Given the size and nature of the project, it is consistent with the Class 4 Minor Alterations to Land Exemption under CEQA.
County Clerk
Yolo
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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