County-Wide Hand Crew Project Exemption
Summary
SCH Number
2025020090
Public Agency
San Luis Obispo County
Document Title
County-Wide Hand Crew Project Exemption
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
2/4/2025
Document Description
The objectives for these projects are increased public and first responder safety and reduction of fuel loading through vegetation management and training utilizing hand crews throughout the County of San Luis Obispo. Methods will include the creation of defensible space, appropriately sized fuel breaks, and shaded fuel breaks utilizing hand and mechanical treatments to cut, chip, pile and burn vegetation as necessary and appropriate, beginning in the spring of 2025 and continuing annually based on resource availability. The level of treatment can vary based on the type of vegetation present from the creation of fuel breaks with cutting and chipping of vegetation (leaving root systems intact), to the creation of shaded fuel breaks where residual trees and shrubs are thinned and limbed at appropriate length and height for effective fire resilience. Hand crews will use hand tools and mechanical equipment including but not limited to chainsaws, pole saws, chippers, mowers, and weed whips to scrape, cut, prune, thin, chip, and mow vegetation. This project also includes treating linear features, such as roads, that involves the cutting of vegetation within the road right-of-way for a width of 10 to approximately 50 feet on each side to enhance emergency ingress and egress. No heavy equipment use will occur. Burning will be conducted where permissible with an approved permit from Air Pollution Control District.
An archaeological site review will be completed for projects not identified as an archaeological exempt practice, with follow up surveys if warranted. The project will avoid any operations within a buffer of at minimum 50 feet from identified cultural or archaeological resources. A desktop biological review with a minimum one-mile buffer will also be included for each project area to identify any listed plant or animal species present. This may include but not be limited to CNDDB, BIOS, RareFind, CNPS, Calflora, and landowner records. Follow up surveys will be completed if warranted. Project operations will avoid any locations with identified sensitive or listed biological resources. These areas will be buffered to appropriate distances depending on individual identified biological resource, location, and time of year. All watercourses will be buffered on either side from project operations except for hand removal of dead vegetative material within or adjacent to the watercourse bed, bank, or channel.
Contact Information
Name
Dave Erickson
Agency Name
CAL FIRE/San Luis Obispo Fire County Department
Job Title
Forester I
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Location
Cities
Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Cambria, Grover Beach, Morro Bay, Nipomo, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, Unincorporated areas
Counties
San Luis Obispo
Regions
Countywide
Other Location Info
County wide throughout the County of San Luis Obispo
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 1, Class 4, Class 7
Reasons for Exemption
This project fits under portions of Class 1 - Existing Facilities, Class 4 - Minor Alterations to Land, and Class 7 Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of Natural Resources
Field review by San Luis Obispo County Fire Department staff confirmed that no exceptions apply that would preclude the use of a notice of exemption for this project. The County has concluded that no significant environmental impact would occur to aesthetics, agriculture and forestland or timberland, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use planning, mineral resources, noise, population and housing, public services, recreation, transportation or traffic, or to utilities and service systems. Documentation of the environmental review completed by the County Fire Department is kept on file at 1150 Laurel Lane, Suite 175 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
County Clerk
San Luis Obispo
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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