Caltrans District 12 Vegetation Fuels Reduction Vegetation Management within Orange County

Caltrans District 12 is forecasting a project for vegetation fuel reduction and management within Orange County, California, under NAICS code 561730. The primary objective is to mitigate wildfire risks and enhance native plant resiliency through various treatments along State Routes 73, 74, 91, 133, 142, and 241. Specific activities include vegetation management strip clearance, the removal of invasive flashy fuels, vegetation thinning, and the removal of hazardous, dead, or dying trees. Additionally, the project involves roadway vegetation removal to improve public and responder ingress and egress routes and reduce the likelihood of roadside ignitions. The project will be executed in accordance with the State Environmental Protection Plan. A Notice of Exemption has been filed, asserting a statutory exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act based on Governor Newsom's wildfire State of Emergency Proclamation and relevant Public Resource and Government Codes to expedite emergency risk reduction. Smita Deshpande, Senior Environmental Scientist, serves as the primary point of contact for the agency.