Angels Camp Fuels Reduction Project

The proposed project will reduce hazardous fuel loading and create a 300-foot wide shaded fuel break around the community of angels camp in calaveras county. The project area is approximately 70 acres in size. The project area ranges in elevation from approximately 1,400 to 1,560 feet in elevation. The objective of the project is to reduce hazardous fuel loading and create a shaded fuel break around the community of angels camp. The project area is in an urban interface setting. Vegetation at the site would best be described as oak woodland. Overstory tree species consist primarily of grey pine, blue oak, valley oak, and interior live oak, with an understory of common manzanita, ceanothus, toyon, buckeye, yerba santa, blackberry, and poison oak. Surface and ladder fuels will be reduced or modified by mastication and hand cutting: chipping may be used where mastication is infeasible due to site constraints. Mastication may be conducted by a variety of track laying and/or wheeled tractors. Hand work will be conducted by hand crews using chainsaws and other hand tools. Trees less than 12-inches in diameter at breast height (dbh), surface fuels, and ladder fuels will be removed to achieve a target residual tree spacing of 25 to 30-feet between stems. Residual trees will be pruned to a height of approximately 8-to-10-feet above ground level. Dead trees of any size may be treated. Masticated or chipped material will be left on site. The reduction in vegetation will create an open and parklike shaded fuel break condition that will minimize fire behavior and create a stand structure that is resistant to stand replacing fires.