Scotts Valley-area shaded fuel break underway to reduce wildfire risk, RCD says

Laurel Bard, a program specialist with the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County, told the Scotts Valley City Council the Lockhart shaded fuel break is a 105-acre wildfire-reduction project running along the ridgeline between Zionie Creek and Lockhart Gulch that began implementation on 07/28/2025 and is expected to finish on 12/20/2025.

The project, Bard said, aims to reduce threats to life, property and infrastructure by removing "ladder fuels" (small trees and shrubs) and selectively thinning dead and hazard trees near the ridgeline. "We're primarily reducing ladder fuels, which are small trees and shrubs that can act as connectors between a fire that's moving along the forest floor and could potentially take it up into the canopy," Bard said. She added crews will limb trees up to 8 feet and "remove select small trees that are under 8 inches in diameter." The shaded fuel break covers 105 acres, of which Bard said 93 acres are on the ridgeline and 12 acres are near Lockwood Lane.

Bard said the project uses grant funding, including a Cal Fire fire-prevention grant for design and implementation, and that environmental compliance was completed through a CalVTP project-specific analysis. She told the council Cal Fire staff visited the site and "they said that they were really pleased with the work as it had happened" and that one cleared section could serve as a lookout for firefighters.

Council members asked about experience with the method and homeowner assistance. Bard said the masticator and shaded-fuel-break approach has been implemented locally and in comparable mountain ridgelines, and that the RCD provides technical assistance and can connect residents to cost-share programs such as the USDA EQIP and Cal Fire's CFIP. She said the RCD does not work directly with insurance companies and could not promise insurance-rate reductions, but suggested county or state recognition of hazard-reduction work could influence insurers.

Bard noted limited seasonal restrictions: some portions cannot be worked on until after Dec. 1 because of the sensitivity of Sandhill species. She said the work also provides co-benefits of forest-health improvement and better access for emergency responders. "The goals of the project are to reduce the potential for a loss of human life and property and damage to infrastructure," she said.

The Resource Conservation District will continue outreach and encourage residents to request site visits through the RCD website, Bard added. No formal action was taken by the council on the fuel-break presentation during the meeting.

What happens next: the RCD will continue implementation through the stated completion date, and staff said they will coordinate with Cal Fire and local agencies as post-project touring and monitoring continue.