City staff presented details of a PG&E-sponsored pilot to test a remote, low-smoke burning technology called Burnbot on city-owned parcels in Loma Rica.

Dwayne Strosser, the city's Community Risk Reduction Manager, said the project pairs recent mastication work with a Burnbot treatment that PG&E is funding. "They came in and pre-masticated their side; we masticated the private property side with permission," Strosser said, describing two "like-for-like" 14-acre treatment areas north and south of Wolf Creek adjacent to Idaho-Maryland Road and Brunswick. He said the work also clears roadside vegetation along an identified priority evacuation route.

Strosser said agencies including Cal Fire and the Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District have been involved in planning; Air District staff agreed to waive a permit requirement during initial testing because of the technology's low-smoke profile. The city will host a demonstration for elected officials and agency partners on Nov. 6, Strosser said, and there is a chance some preliminary treatment could occur a few days before that date depending on weather and permit windows.

Strosser described the operational goals: to compare the durability of the Burnbot's burned fuel break against conventional mastication and to reduce long-term maintenance costs. "Long term this is gonna be a better, treatment option thinking outside the box moving beyond current practices," he said. Strosser added the device uses a controlled, low-smoke heating method, not an open flame, and that operators can segment property into smaller zones for targeted treatment.

On funding, Strosser said PG&E is sponsoring this pilot and the city is pursuing grants to pay for future operations if the method proves effective. He named CFIP (Community Forest Improvement Program) as one pending grant option for Loma Rica and said Measure B revenues could be used in future budgets. The city has also purchased and repurposed equipment (for example, a water trailer and attachments for remote masticators) to reduce rental costs.

Council members asked about public-safety and air-quality safeguards and whether the city would change municipal code to allow contracted burns inside city limits. Strosser said staff will draft materials for the fire chief and legal review and recommended a cautious, "baby steps" approach. "We have to do this right the first time so we can move forward," he said.

The city did not adopt any regulatory changes at the meeting; staff said they would return with recommendations and any ordinance language needed if the pilot shows promise.

Proposed next steps described at the meeting include hosting the Nov. 6 demonstration, collecting post-treatment data next spring to compare durability versus mastication, and pursuing grant-funded deployments in priority zones if outcomes justify it.

Ending: The demonstration will be open to elected officials and agency partners; staff said they will provide a public schedule once weather and permit windows are set.