Thornburg/Shokouh Fuels Reduction Project

The Thornburg/Shokouh Fuels Reduction Project is a 80-acre land treatment initiative located on two private parcels in Markleeville, California, within eastern Alpine County, specifically at 79 Sawmill Road and 235 Pinion Road. The project targets the reduction of hazardous wildfire fuels by addressing dense sagebrush stands and fire-damaged conifers ranging from 4 to 14 inches in diameter at breast height. Mechanical mastication will be used to process approximately 70% of the sagebrush, while the remaining 30% will be preserved in a discontinuous mosaic pattern to maintain wildlife habitat without contributing to fuel continuity. Debris from masticated zones will be chipped or off-hauled to retain soil moisture and enhance fire resilience. Dead and dying conifers will be manually lopped and scattered, and trees between 4 and 14 inches in diameter will be removed, with leftover trees limbed to a minimum height of 10 feet from the surface fuels. Riparian areas on the Shokouh property will remain undisturbed, and at least two conifer snags per acre—16 inches or greater in diameter and over 20 feet tall—will be retained unless they pose a safety risk. The ultimate goal is to create a stand structure that prevents crown fire ignition and sustainment, limiting projected flame lengths to 2–4 feet and ensuring the primary fire carrier is surface vegetation like grasses and leaf litter. All work will be conducted using mechanical methods only, excluding any burning. The project complies with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Class 4 Categorical Exemption 15304 for minor land alterations and adheres to state-mandated Environmental Sensitive Area buffers and Equipment Exclusion Zones around watercourses, requiring 25-foot no-disturbance zones. A Cultural Resources Specialist will be present to monitor and protect any identified cultural resources, and pre-construction biological surveys have been completed for species of concern, including American and Morrison bumble bees. The project also triggers mandatory compliance with several regulatory requirements, including a Lake and Stream Alteration Agreement with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, submission of a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan due to soil disturbance exceeding one acre, potential Section 404 permitting from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and a timber conversion waiver from CAL FIRE. Monitoring and compliance reporting are overseen by Alpine County, with coordination supported by the Reno Fish and Wildlife Office and Nevada