Surrey Village/Wilcox and surrounding WUI - Fuels Reduction Project
Summary
SCH Number
2025020040
Public Agency
Resource Conservation District of Tehama County
(RCD-TC)
Document Title
Surrey Village/Wilcox and surrounding WUI - Fuels Reduction Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
2/3/2025
Document Description
Vegetative density (especially blue oak) surrounding the densely populated Surrey Village/Wilcox communities poses an imminent threat with the potential of High Severity Wildfire. The project goal is to reduce the risk of ignitions and rate of fire spread into adjacent grasslands, shrublands and high-quality oak woodlands. In addition, project work would result in the continued expansion and maintenance of fuel-break networks that is used during wildfire events to protect homes and developed parcels and create a space from which backfire operations or future landscape scale vegetation treatments not affiliated with this project can be developed.
The proposed project entails vegetation management/reduction and maintenance treatments (cutting, chipping, thinning, limbing, mastication and herbicide applications) within and/or surrounding the WUI Communities of Surrey Village/Adobe area. The aspiration is to reduce the ladder fuels, space the canopies, and thin the fuels load in order to lower wildfire susceptibility and spread to the area. The removal and control of target vegetation will reduce ignition risk, reduce the rate of fire spread and intensity as well as removal excess trees and other vegetation thus improving conditions for larger, more mature trees particularly oaks that are currently in good health and continue to sequester Greenhouse Gases (GHGs).
The RCDTC will manage, operate, and maintain hand crew(s), chipper(s) along with masticator(s) during fuel treatment projects. In addition, the RCDTC will conduct photo monitoring as well as prepare field progress reports and mapping which will be incorporated into project status reports submitted to the funder by the RCDTC Project Manager. Treatment areas will be conducted along County Roadside Easements as well as various parcel owners dispersed throughout the attached map (reference below), The total area addressed will entail approximately 300 acres.
Specific treatments to be completed in connection with this project include: • Chipping of downed branches/snags • The cutting, thinning and chipping of ground fuels along with shrubs, vines and small, poorly developed trees (< 14" in diameter) [that create ladder fuels extending into the crowns of mature oaks.] Dead, dying, overcrowded and/or diseased trees will be specifically targeted. • herbicide(s) [approved by the State and the Tehama County Agriculture Department] after several months, up to one growing season, will potentially be applied - dependent on landowner preference/
Contact Information
Name
Drew Barnhart
Agency Name
Resource Conservation District of Tehama County
Job Title
Project Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Name
Missi Elliott
Agency Name
Tehama County Resource Conservation District
Job Title
Project Coordinator
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Address
Phone
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Red Bluff, Surrey Village/Wilcox, Tehama
Counties
Tehama
Regions
Northern California
Cross Streets
Noble Oaks Drive, Adobe Rd, Creek Bottom Road
Zip
96080
Total Acres
300
Jobs
20
Parcel #
N/A
State Highways
CA
Railways
Union Pacific, Amtrak Red Bluff
Airports
Red Bluff Municipal Airport
Schools
Tehama County Department of Education (all schools)
Waterways
Spring Creek, Paynes Creek, Brewery Creek, Dibble Creek, Sacramento River
Township
27N
Range
3W
Section
27
Base
MDBM
Other Location Info
Approximately 300 acres associated within orange area of map attached
Other Information
Specific treatments to be completed in connection with this project include:
Chipping of downed branches/snags. The cutting, thinning and chipping of ground fuels along with shrubs, vines and small, poorly developed trees (< 14” in diameter) [that create ladder fuels extending into the crowns of mature oaks.] Dead, dying, overcrowded and/or diseased trees will be specifically targeted.
herbicide(s) [approved by the State and the Tehama County Agriculture Department] after several months, up to one growing season, will potentially be applied – dependent on landowner preference/
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Categorical Exemption Type/Section: Class 4 §15304 (e) Minor Alterations to Land
Reasons for Exemption
Public Resources Code, Division 13, Chapter 6, Article 19, Section 15304 allows minor alteration of vegetation including fuel management activities to reduce volume of flammable vegetation provided the activities do not result in the taking of endangered, rare, or threatened plant/animal species, or cause significant erosion and sedimentation of surface waters. This project is considered low impact given that the nature of the project work occurs on already disturbed and developed areas and biomass chips will be broadcast onsite. A current California Natural Diversity Database and Cultural Resources search will be conducted, and will determine if Proposed project area affects any env. or cultural resources. If any Environmental or Cultural Resources area identified, project area will be amended to exclude this area and/or appropriate avoidance measures/monitoring and ancillary task(s) conducted.
County Clerk
Tehama
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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