Lake Wildwood Roadside Fuels Reduction Project

The Lake Wildwood Roadside Fuels Reduction Project is a critical evacuation microgrant initiative located in a high fire-severity zone within Western Nevada County, California. The project focuses on removing hazardous vegetation along the main ingress and egress routes of the Lake Wildwood subdivision, a community comprising approximately 2,300 homes and over 5,000 full-time residents. By implementing hand treatments to remove ladder fuels and increase canopy spacing within 10 feet of the pavement, the project aims to address evacuation concerns identified in the 2024 Evacuation Study and Community Wildfire Protection Plan, while bringing HOA-owned easements into compliance with County Ordinance 4.01.040.C.3. Managed by the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services, the project is statutorily exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under PRC 21080.49(b) as it involves reducing flammable vegetation up to 100 feet from roadways in a high wildfire hazard zone. The work is centered in the Lake Wildwood Subdivision in Penn Valley, California, with a proposed completion date of December 2026. Alex Geritz serves as the Forestry Project Manager for this effort.