Deerlick Springs Project

The Deerlick Springs Project, managed by the Trinity County Resource Conservation District as the CEQA Lead Agency, involves forest health and wildfire mitigation activities across a 151-acre area located approximately seven miles south of Douglas City, California. Executed by the Watershed Research and Training Center, the project aims to restore historical fire regimes, create effective fuel breaks for firefighter access, reduce invasive species, and promote biodiversity in native grasslands and oak savannahs. Key operational objectives include reducing fuel loadings around critical infrastructure and habitable structures through strategic manual thinning and prescribed burning. The scope of work focuses on the removal of suppressed, unhealthy, small-diameter understory trees and brush to reduce the vertical and horizontal continuity of forest fuels. Pre-burn treatments will include handline construction and hand thinning using chainsaws, with residual materials managed through piling and burning, chipping, or lop and scatter methods. All prescribed burning must adhere to a formal burn plan and comply with all necessary permits and legal requirements. The project design incorporates Standard Best Management Practices and has been reviewed by a qualified wildlife biologist and a Registered Professional Forester to ensure minimal environmental impact. While specific financial details are not provided, the project is slated for implementation with broadcast burns likely occurring during the fall and spring seasons.