Butte County approves $952,000 roadside fuels contract for Skyway with urban-area burning limits after residents object

The Butte County Board of Supervisors on March 10 approved a six-month, roughly $952,000 contract with P31 Enterprises to perform roadside fuel reduction on about 12 miles of roadway from Magalia to Sterling City, directing staff to add conditions that prohibit prescribed fire in dense urban areas and preserve an opt-out for herbicide spraying for property owners.

Residents who live along Skyway said the contract’s scope—particularly a provision that could require 15-foot spacing between tree canopies and work within up to 35 feet of the paved edge—was vague and potentially destructive. “We do not support widespread spraying of carcinogenic herbicides along our roadsides,” said resident Lauren Weimer, who said her veterinary clinic on Skyway could be affected and raised concerns about erosion where steep slopes rely on native vegetation.

John Stonebraker, who said he was not contacted about the project, objected to task language that would remove limbs and create the kind of wide canopy openings he said would kill trees and change the visual character of the corridor. Chris Rowan urged the board to table the contract until the county clarifies how the contractor will implement tree limbing, canopy spacing, and other tasks and to give the community additional review time.

County staff and the fire chief defended the need for rapid implementation because of grant deadlines and wildfire risks. Interim director Wendy Tyler said the funding opportunity approved in 2019 carries time limits and that some flora and fauna constraints make a short implementation window critical. Fire Chief Garrett Scholl described roadside projects along the Skyway as typically narrow and said chipping and mastication are common: “This could be much more efficient to chip or mulch that product and put it back onto the forest floor,” he said.

Supervisors and staff agreed to three operational constraints requested by residents and board members: survey work to establish actual county right-of-way before broad clearing in sensitive places; an opt-out process for property owners who do not want herbicide applied adjacent to their parcel; and a restriction on pile-and-prescribed burning in dense, urban sections of Skyway. Supervisor (speaker 8) moved the measure with those conditions and the motion passed on a voice vote.

Tyler said the contractor must coordinate with the Butte County Air Quality Management District and obtain all necessary permits for any pile burning; she apologized for a communication lapse about prior outreach and promised more community consultations going forward. The contract will move to work planning and permits; supervisors said maintenance funding will be necessary to sustain treated rights-of-way.