California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP) Update

The Trinity County Resource Conservation District is tasked with serving as the CEQA Lead Agency for the Watershed Research and Training Center on the Hayfork Valley Project, which aims to reduce wildfire risk and enhance forest resilience through wildland urban interface fuel reduction and ecological restoration. This includes vegetation treatments across up to 15,055 acres of private land in Trinity County, employing methods such as mechanical thinning and prescribed burning to lower fuel loads and create more sustainable forest conditions. The District will utilize the existing CalVTP Program Environmental Impact Report as a foundational document and supplement it with a Project-Specific Analysis and Addendum developed by the Watershed Research and Training Center to ensure compliance with environmental review requirements. The contract is part of the California Vegetation Treatment Program Update initiative, with the project focused on the Hayfork area of California. Primary points of contact include Kelly Sheen, Executive Director of the Trinity County Resource Conservation District, and John Cluck, Forester with the Watershed Research and Training Center, who will collaborate on the environmental review and implementation efforts. The project remains under active environmental planning as of the posted forecast date in June 2026, with all activities centered on achieving long-term forest health and community protection through science-based, large-scale land treatment strategies.