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U.S. Forest Service reports fuels-reduction progress in Trinity County; asks for county representation on advisory committee
Summary
Roy Jones of the U.S. Forest Service told the Trinity County Board that crews have completed roughly 60 acres of fuels reduction so far, with about 800 acres planned, NEPA was signed for the South Fork Mountain fuelbreak and partners including AmeriCorps and CAL FIRE are supporting work; he asked for county participation on a Resource Advisory Committee.
Roy Jones, a U.S. Forest Service representative who said this might be his last meeting before a personnel change, briefed the Trinity County Board of Supervisors July 7 on recent fire activity and fuels-management work on national-forest lands that affect the county.
Jones said the district has kept recent lightning-started fires small ("roughly, like, 5 fires... they've kept them all under an acre," with the largest reaching about 4 acres) and noted that crews have shifted from limited operating procedures into active fuels-reduction work. "Since that's lifted, got about 60 acres completed," he said, and added that the total fuels-reduction program the Forest Service plans to work on in the coming seasons is around 800 acres.
Projects Jones listed include the South Fork Mountain fuelbreak (NEPA recently signed and fuels work already begun), North Trinity Community Risk Reduction, Big Ranch community risk reduction, Junction City community risk reduction, Wildwood Forest resilience and the Weaverville fuelbreak. He also said partners including AmeriCorps, CAL FIRE and local watershed organizations are contributing crews and contracts for work.
Jones said the Forest Service is planning some road resurfacing projects (Coral Bottom area on Road 47) and that some fuels contracts and work north of Hyampom will improve community protection there. He also urged local elected officials to consider serving on the Forest Service's Resource Advisory Committee, saying "we really need a county or local elected official on that board" and noting there are 15 slots to fill.
Board members thanked Jones for the update and asked a few clarifying questions about motorized recreation rules and staffing continuity; Jones said restrictions vary by area and that road-use and motorized-vehicle rules remain in place where appropriate. No board action was requested or taken.
Why it matters: The fuels-reduction work and interagency partnerships are intended to reduce wildfire risk in vulnerable communities across Trinity County; NEPA clearance for the South Fork Mountain fuelbreak signals that on-the-ground thinning has begun in at least one prioritized location.
