North Bay Forest Improvement Program - Lundborg

The North Bay Forest Improvement Program - Lundborg is a project managed by the Sonoma Resource Conservation District located in the Mill Creek watershed in Healdsburg, California, specifically across several parcels off Palmer Creek Road. The project aims to restore canopy cover lost during the Walbridge Fire and manage invasive species in a mixed hardwood-conifer forest. The scope of work includes heavy cutting hand treatments to reduce invasive French broom, which will decrease vegetative and woody biomass and ladder fuels. Following these treatments, site preparation will involve clearing competing vegetation and slash to facilitate the planting of approximately 200 redwood seedlings per acre to reestablish the canopy and shade out invasive species. Operational activities are subject to strict environmental constraints to protect watercourses and species listed under the Federal or State Endangered Species Act. No-operation buffers are required unless cleared by a qualified biologist or Registered Professional Forester. These buffers are set at 75 feet for Class I watercourses and 50 feet for Class II watercourses for slopes under 50 percent, with an additional 25-foot buffer required for slopes exceeding 50 percent. The project is designated as a minor land alteration under CEQA Section 15304, and guidelines prohibit the removal of healthy, mature, or scenic trees to ensure no substantial alteration of the land's current function.