Pala Ranches Fuel Break

The proposed fuel reduction project is intended to mitigate wildfire fuels adjacent to residential structures along Evans Road and Old State Road, thereby reducing risks to human life, property, and the surrounding environment. The project site is situated off Shirley Creek Road in Wofford Heights, California, between the intersecting streets of Gold Mill Avenue and Evans Road, on the southern boundary of the Pala Ranches community. The fuel break shall commence at the western portion of the community and extend along an existing fire access road downslope for approximately two miles, terminating at its connection with Old State Road. Crews will use a wide range of manual/mechanical treatments to accomplish our fuel reduction goals. These will range from hand thinning, mowing, chipping, piling, pile burning, and mastication. Project activities shall include the removal of vegetative fuels along the fire access road to a width of approximately 25 feet on each side. A larger fuel reduction effort will take place at the west end of the project. Crews will use the above treatments to create a shaded fuel break immediately adjacent to the community of Pala Ranches. The entirety of the project area is classified within High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones as designated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFIRE) and is situated on privately owned land bordered on all sides by federally administered property.