Six Rivers National Forest Releases ‘1st 48 Project’ Draft

This is a press release from the U.S. Forest Service:

MAD RIVER, Calif. – Six Rivers National Forest District Ranger Dan Dill announced [Thursday] the release of the Mad River Ranger District’s 1^st 48 Roadside Fuelbreak Collaborative Project Draft Environmental Assessment (1^st 48 Project). The draft environmental assessment was completed in collaboration with the Trinity County Collaborative Group (TCCG).

In 2013, the TCCG brought forward a “proof of concept” proposal designed to establish a network of linear, roadside shaded fuelbreaks on approximately 823 acres on the forest’s southernmost district in Trinity County. All proposed shaded fuelbreaks would primarily occur within 150 feet on either side of National Forest System roads 02S02, 2S47, 2S48, 2S49, 2S50, 2S51, 2S52 and 2S53, and one motorized trail (8E20). The proposed treatments would also thin entire overstocked plantations and rare oak woodlands bordering roadways.

“We worked closely with the collaborative to make sure we had a project that would provide area residents safer evacuation routes during wildfires; allow faster wildland firefighter response and suppression; and reduce the risk of roadside fires burning high-value forest resources,” said Dill, district ranger for the Mad River Ranger District.

The TCCG is composed of 55 diverse stakeholders including landowners, business owners, local and regional conservation groups, timber industry representatives, fire safe councils, local non-governmental organizations, federal and county government agencies. The collaborative vision is to build on the success of earlier initiatives to bridge organizations and gain traction to address environmental, economic and social concerns.

The draft environmental assessment is available for review at the Six Rivers National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 1330 Bayshore Way, Eureka, CA; Mad River Ranger District, 741 State Highway 36, Bridgeville, CA; or online at www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=51215.

Comments on the 1^st 48 Project are being accepted until March 26, 2018. Comments may be mailed to 1^st 48 Project, Six Rivers National Forest, 1330 Bayshore Way, Eureka, CA 95501; hand-delivered Monday through Friday from 8am to 4:30pm (excluding holidays); faxed to (707) 441-3598; or emailed to [email protected] and/or [email protected] in common (.doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf, .txt) formats with the Subject: 1st 48 Project. Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record for this proposal and will be available for public inspection (40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 1909.12 §21).

For more information, contact District Ranger Dan Dill at (707) 574-6844.