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Project Treatment Types

Relevant CalVTP Treatment Types and Terminology
Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fuel Reduction Area
Strategic reduction in vegetation density and remove fuel to directly protect communities and assets at risk from potential damage from non-wind driven wildfires originating in the adjacent wildlands, as well as to protect the wildlands from fires starting in or near development. Serve as emergency access points and staging areas for firefighters and equipment and reduce flammable vegetation along emergency evacuation routes for the community.
Fuel Break
Strategic areas where flammable vegetation can be modified to reduce fire spread to structures, while providing a safer location for firefighters to fight fires. In forested areas, the tree canopy is thinned to reduce the potential for a fire to move quickly or to reduce fire spread into or through the canopy. Ladder fuels and woody understory vegetation are thinned out. Overstory and understory vegetation is spatially separated so that a ground fire will not burn too hot or climb into the canopy and turn into a crown fire. In grasslands, vegetation would generally remain, but encroaching shrubs and trees may be limbed, thinned, or removed.

BEFORE

AFTER

Fuel Reduction
0 to 100 up to 150 feet swath, as determined appropriate by fire professionals and based on site conditions, treatments are focused on higher intensity fuel reduction achieving desired vertical and horizontal spacing more typical of defensible space.

Fuel Reduction Zone

Forest Health Zone

100 feet

150 feet

200 feet

300 feet

All healthy, mature native trees would be left intact and in place unless removal is required due to structural or health defects that place infrastructure or lives at risk.

Forest Health Restoration
Generally, vegetation treatments would be lower intensity, focused primarily on forest health such as by removing invasives species and over-accumulation of dead and downed vegetation.

BEFORE

AFTER

Example of Treatment Areas

Treatments are intended to address a vegetative landscape that has not seen fire for at least a century and intends to restore treated areas around our homes/community to a more natural, healthy, and fire adapted condition reducing accumulated ground and ladder fuels and dead and down woody debris.

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Prescribed Herbivory
Grazing includes the use of livestock (e.g., sheep, goats, cattle) to reduce fuel loads, typically in shrubland and forest understory, but grasslands as well, and may be used as a pre-treatment before implementation of other methods.

Ground-Based Mechanical Treatment
Motorized equipment can be mounted with various mowing, mulching, and masticating heads for larger scale vegetation removal, roadside treatments, and maintenance. Grass can be mowed with tractors. The equipment and tools that could be used include skid steers or tractors with mounted masticators or mowers; and ride mowers.

Project Treatment Methods

Manual Treatment
Powered and non-powered hand tools will be used. Non-powered hand tools used for cutting most commonly include loppers, hand pruners, hand saws, and hatchets. Common powered hand tools include chainsaws and string trimmers.

Herbicide Application
Herbicides use in a targeted manner as stump and spot spray treatments to kill or prevent regrowth of invasive and non-native species. Herbicides would be applied in a manner to prevent overdrift.

Biomass Processing
Pile Burning
Pile burning involves the burning of surface fuels in compliance with CAL FIRE and Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Piles are generally 4 feet in diameter and 4 feet in height.
Chipping
The vegetative material would be fed through the chipper and broadcast at treatment areas or hauled away for processing.

Other treatment methods are used on an as needed basis based on site conditions

Broadcast Burning
Prescribed burning to reduce fuels over a larger area or restore fire resiliency in target fire-adapted plant communities; conducted under specific conditions related to fuels, weather, and other variables.

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California Vegetation Treatment Program

EIR Process

What is the CalVTP EIR?

Certified by Board of Forestry and Fire Protection in December 2019
Designed to expedite pace and scale of forest treatments across California
Focus is on State Responsibility Areas and “treatable landscape,” but Local Responsible Areas can be added through Addendum
20.3 million acres including tree, shrub, grass fuel types

Type of Treatments Covered?

Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Fuel Reduction (in WUI)
Fuel Breaks (Strategically placed to actively support fire-control activities)
Ecological Restoration Projects (outside WUI)

Covered Activities?

Prescribed burning
Manual vegetation treatment
Mechanical vegetation treatment
Prescribed herbivory
Targeted ground application of herbicides

Source: Ascent Environmental

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Cultural Resources
Effects on archaeological, historic, and tribal cultural resources
Protection Measures Worker training on protection of sensitive resources Pre-field research, field surveys in areas of high sensitivity prior to fuel management activities, avoidance and/or monitoring Notify geographically affiliated tribe Stopping ground disturbance within 100 feet of a previously undiscovered resource until qualified professional can assess the find

Biological Resources
Effects on special-status plants and wildlife, sensitive plant communities, and wetlands
Protection Measures Worker training for identification of species Surveys for certain species prior to fuel management activities, depending on season Avoid type conversion and maintain habitat function

Visual
Effects on views due to project including to recreationalists on trails and roads
Protection Measures Feather edges of adjacent vegetation Avoid staging in viewsheds Provide vegetative screening

Air Quality
Effects of emissions
Protection Measures Comply with applicable Bay Area Air Quality Management District air quality requirements and submit a Smoke Management Plan and Burn Plan

Landslide, Erosion, and Water Quality
Effects on steep and unstable slopes, erodible soils, and waterways (creeks, reservoirs)
Protection Measures Limit use of heavy equipment on steep slopes and suspend during heavy precipitation Limit and stabilize disturbed soil areas Ensure water quality protections are in place Use of erosion and sediment control measures Utilize a RPF or licensed geologist to evaluate slopes over 50 percent and avoid

Noise
Effects on adjacent noise sensitive receptors
Protection Measures Limit use of heavy equipment to daytime hours Notify sensitive receptors of work Place staging areas aways from sensitive receptors

Key Resource Concerns and Example �Standard Project Requirements

Replica of traditional Miwok home, Miwok Park, Novato

Poster describing resource concerns and protection measures. We'll describe: -

Biological resources - sensitive plants and animals and methods for surveying and minimizing impacts

- Cultural resources – archaeological resources and methods for surveying and minimizing impacts

- Visual resources/Recreational resources – how landscape will appear to smaller areas after work is completed

- Landslide/hydrologic impacts

- Noise

Air quality

Try not to get too text heavy – explain what are existing or known ways that veg management occurs and protects resources. It’s not our mitigation as we haven’t written a document yet.

Biological and Cultural Resources: Areas to be treated will be assessed for biological and cultural resources, in compliance with CEQA guideline prior to project implementation. Assessments will include field surveys and use of existing occurrence data. Biological and cultural resources that may be impacted from treatments will be avoided or where feasible, treated using manual methods.

Noise: To limit noise, equipment operation will be limited to daytime hours of ~8 am- 5pm. In some cases, operations may begin earlier in the morning when temperatures are cooler (6am) due to worker safety (heat exhaustion) and fire ignition concerns.

Visual resources/Recreational resources – For public and working safety, roads, trails, and parking areas may have controlled traffic, detours, or limited access while vegetation management work is occuring. Closures are expected to be limited in duration and focused around areas where active projects are taking place.

During treatments, visitors can expect to see work crews, equipment, and cut or burned vegetation. Cut vegetation will be removed via chipping or hauling. Where vegetation is scorched due to fire, brown foliage will be visible for 1-2 seasons after scorching.

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