AB2551 Watershed Coordinator Grant – Modoc Resource Conservation District (SNC959-RFFCP)

The Sierra Nevada Conservancy has authorized the Modoc Resource Conservation District to utilize grant funds for the AB2551 Watershed Coordinator and Forest Health Grant to perform fuels reduction treatments on three units within the Fort Bidwell Indian Reservation. This project, titled the Fort Bidwell FY 2024 North Timber Harvest Maintenance project, is designed to reduce wildfire risk, improve fuel breaks, and support the Tribe's Forest Management Plan. The scope of work involves thinning, hand piling, and pile burning of at least 80 percent of trees and shrubs with diameters at breast-height up to 6 inches. Technical specifications require the use of chainsaws and hand tools, with hand piles measuring 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet and spaced at least 10 feet apart. The project is conducted on tribal trust lands with oversight from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It has been granted a statutory exemption under Public Resources Code section 4799.05 and received a categorical exclusion following a NEPA review by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Pacific Region on August 25, 2025. The primary goal is to promote the long-term management of timber resources and reduce fuel loading to acceptable levels. Administrative oversight is provided by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, with Mary Akens serving as the primary point of contact.