Low Gap Road Forest Resillience Project

Low Gap Road, a county-maintained roadway west of Ukiah, lies on a strategic ridge at the junction of the Big, Navarro, and upper Russian River basins in Mendocino County. Current ridge-top stands are densely stocked with small-diameter trees and heavy underbrush, creating conditions that promote fire spread between watersheds. Invasive species and Douglas-fir encroachment further threaten remnant oak woodlands along the ridge, which transitions from oak woodland and grassland in the east to mixed conifer forest in the west. The project aims to create contiguous, fire-resilient forest conditions that protect thousands of acres of forest and improve public safety, while also enhancing oak woodlands. In some areas, herbicide use will be necessary to control shrub regrowth and reduce wildfire risk—an activity not included in the original CalVTP PSA. MHRC has amended the PSA to allow up to 500 acres of herbicide treatment within previously treated areas. These treatments fall within the scope of the CalVTP PEIR, which evaluated appropriate measures to avoid or minimize environmental impacts. Because the proposed herbicide use is consistent with the treatment activities and disturbance levels analyzed in the PEIR, no additional project-specific requirements or mitigation measures are necessary.