Santa Barbara Mountain Communities Defense Zone Project

The Santa Barbara Mountain Communities Defense Zone Project, identified as Authority to Construct No. 16470, is a fuel reduction initiative managed by the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District and the United States Forest Service. The project focuses on enhancing wildfire protection for the communities of Painted Cave, San Marcos Trout Club, Haney Tract, and Rosario Park by creating and improving fuel breaks across approximately 198 acres of federal and adjacent non-federal land within the San Marcos Pass area of the Los Padres National Forest. The primary objective is to reduce the risk to human life, structures, and natural resources by managing hazardous biomass. A key component of the project is the use of an air curtain incinerator to convert shrubs and other biomass created during thinning and brush control into biochar, thereby eliminating the wildfire risk posed by leaving debris onsite. Other approved disposal methods include mastication, chipping, piling and burning, or jackpot burning. The project is exempt from CEQA under California Public Resources Code Section 4799.05(d)(2) and is conducted in accordance with NEPA regulations. The project approval and permit issue date is December 1, 2025, with primary administrative oversight provided by the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District.