HFQLG
Project Evaluation Form
Project Name: Genesee Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Fuels Reduction & Black Oak
Enhancement Project
Project Type: Fuel Reduction project implemented to create a Defensible Fuel Profile Zone within
the Genesee Valley Wildland Urban Interface and simultaneously incorporate ecosystem objectives
of restoring Pine-Black Oak community.
Forest: Plumas NF, Mt Hough Ranger District
Date: 10 August 2010
Attendance: 20 people
Public - Frank Stewart, Counties Forester and Quincy Library Group (QLG); Jim Brobeck, Sierra
Forest Legacy and Butte County Fire Safe Council; Michael Jackson, QLG; John Sheehan, Plumas
County Fire Safe Council and QLG; Mike Yost, QLG; Alicia Knadler, Resident Editor with Feather
River Publishing; Mike Schaps, identified himself as an interested member of the public from Davis;
Bob Beckwith, adjacent Genesee Valley landowner with Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) funded
fuel reduction project ongoing; Betsy Kraemer, Feather River Land Trust, past manager of adjacent
Heart K Ranch and adjacent property owner where Red Clover Fuel Reduction project completed.
Agency – Tim Holabird, Congressman Tom McClintock’s office; Kristin Dalldorf, Natural Resources
Conservation Service.
USFS – Michael Donald, Mt Hough District Ranger; Ryan Tompkins, District Silviculturist; Gary
Rotta, Wildlife Biologist; Terri Simon-Jackson, Plumas NF Planning Staff Officer; Curtis Yocum,
Timber Sale Administrator; George Garcia, Plumas NF Wildlife, Fish and Rare Plants Program
Manager; David Wood, HFQLG Implementation Team Leader; Colin Dillingham, HFQLG
Monitoring Team Leader; and Tuija Suihkonen, HFQLG GIS Specialist.
Project Objectives
The purpose of this project was to reduce the amount of hazardous fuels and remove conifers which
are encroaching and overtopping large diameter residual oak trees within the project area. The
silvicultural treatments proposed under this project include mechanical thinning and chainsaw
thinning, piling, and burning to 1) reduce the amount of hazardous ladder and surface fuels
accumulations to reduce the risk and susceptibility of forested stands to intense fire behavior and
severe fire effects, and 2) reduce stand density to improve growth and vigor of immature/mature
black oaks and enhance the longevity of large over-mature black oaks. In addition, pockets of barkbeetle induced mortality were treated to help reduce bark beetle related mortality that has been
occurring in the area.
The project was funded through a combination of Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) and HFQLG
funding.
Project Prescriptions
Mechanical Treatments (30 acres): Thin conifer trees less than 30 inches dbh leaving
approximately 30-40% canopy cover and 80-100 square feet of residual basal area. Thin primarily
from below targeting ladder fuels, and then thin codominants to achieve crown spacing and release
residual black oak trees. Retain all hardwood trees.
Chainsaw thinning Treatments (101 acres): Thin conifer trees less than 8 inches dbh and
black oaks less than 6 inches dbh. Chainsaw thinning would focus on the removal of suppressed and
intermediate conifers and/or black oaks that may act as ladder fuels or compete with dominant and
codominant black oaks.
Treatment Forest Products/Costs
The 30 acres of mechanical treatment was implemented as a small timber sale (2400-3T) that sold
for approximately $370. A total of 309 CCF were removed (approximately two loads of sawlogs, 28
chip vans of biomass, and 1 load of cull). The hand thinning and piling treatments (101 acres) were
implemented under a service contract that cost approximately $588 per acre for a total of $59,388.
Landscape Connectivity
This project area represents the “missing link” or gap of untreated forest service land within the
Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) between the 2006 Genesee RAC fuel reduction project and the
2005 Red Clover Estates II RAC fuel reduction project. The fuel reduction treatments proposed in
this project was designed to provide connectivity with these past projects in addition to projects on
private lands thereby creating a more effective fuel treatment along the north side of Genesee Valley.
This is an important component of the project as the community of Genesee has been identified as a
“Community at Risk” by the Plumas County Fire Safe Council (Plumas County Hazardous Fuel
Assessment and Strategy, 2004), and the project area lies within the threat zone of the WUI adjacent
to private lands.
Genesee Project monitoring review
Resource
Attribute
Area
Objective
Source of
Objective
Degree Met
Silviculture
Black Oak
Retain Black Oak
component
EA
Yes
Silviculture
Canopy Cover
Reduce to 30 – 40%
canopy
Silviculture
Prescription
Yes
Silviculture
Stand Density
Reduce tree density
to improve forest
health
Silviculture
Prescription
Yes
Wildlife
Snags
Retain snags to meet
wildlife objectives
HFQLG FEIS
Yes
Fuels
Ladder Fuels
Remove ladder fuels
HFQLG FEIS,
Appendix J
Yes
WUI
(Wildland
Urban
Interface)
Establish Fuel
Reduction
Zone
Reduce fuels
accumulations in
Wildland Urban
Interface
Fire Safe
Council
Yes, further
entry
required
Soils
Compaction
Do not compact soil
Forest Plan
Standards and
Guidelines
Yes
Visuals
Visual Quality
Objectives
Maintain Scenic
Byway Objectives
Forest Plan
Yes
Noxious
Weeds
Prevent expansion of
Yellow Star Thistle
and Bull Thistle
Populations
Forest
Guidelines
Partial
Botany
Comments
Reduce conifer
competition and create
an all age class oak stand
Create pine-oak
savannah and create
variability post-treatment
Thinning project creates
more resilient trees to
drought and bark beetle.
Recent bug mortality in
past 2 months in
increased density of
snags in project area.
Whole tree yarding
chipped and removed
smaller diameter trees.
North side of Genesee
Valley with contiguous
treatments across
ownerships
implemented.
The rocky soils are very
low risk for compaction.
The thinning project
meets Visual Quality
Objectives
Control Area for Yellow
Star Thistle implemented
to prevent spread with
equipment. Some bull
thistle seedlings
becoming established in
disturbed soil.
Discussion of Genesee Fuels Reduction and Oak Enhancement Project (post-treatment):
Genesee Project, Unit 1 –
This mechanical thinning project was
implemented with a timber sale. Although
significant funds were not generated to go to
the federal treasury, 30 acres of this DFPZ
was completed without cost in a service
contract. Silviculture, wildlife and fuels
objectives were all met with the
implementation of the project.
Genesee Project, Unit 1 –
The group discussed the black oak
enhancement prescription. Generally the
silviculture prescription thinned the entire
stand to create a Pine-Oak Savannah habitat
type that was thought to occur here before
fire suppression. More trees were removed
on the south side of the oaks to open up the
canopy and allow a more open growing site.
Michael Jackson discussed the Maidu pineoak relationship philosophy and appreciated
the prescription as implemented. There was
some discussion about the below ground
relationship between the trees and their
beneficial fungi mycorrhizal associates.
Plumas County Fire Safe Council Map – A
continuous network of fuels reduction treatments
across the landscape and multiple landowners has
been largely implemented in Plumas County. Colin
Dillingham, HFQLG Monitoring Team Leader and
John Sheehan of the Plumas Fire Safe Council use
the map to illustrate the completed and planned
treatments and point out the location of the Genesee
project on the map. The group discussed the
landscape connectivity of this project together with
several other projects completed over the past 5 – 10
years. Several small projects on private land were
not illustrated on the map and the group agreed that
updates to the map were needed.
Genesee Unit 3 – This unit was chainsaw thinned
and piled. The piles will be burned when the oaks
are dormant and they will not be as susceptible to
heat or scorch damage. This treatment cost
approximately $588 per acre to complete with a
service contract.
Genesee Unit 3 – Ryan Tompkins and Mike Yost
discuss the benefits of thinning the young black
oak stand. Each clump of oak was thinned down
to one dominant stem to reduce fire hazard and
improve the size and growth rate of retained oak
trees.
Increase Collaboration – Jim Brobeck, Sierra
Forest Legacy and Butte Fire Safe Council;
Michael Jackson, QLG; Frank Stewart, State Fire
Safe Council & QLG; John Sheehan, QLG and
Plumas Fire Safe Council and Mike Donald, Mt
Hough District Ranger discuss increased
collaboration between private land owners, fire
safe councils, state and federal agencies. People
are cooperating across all land ownerships to
help solve the hazardous fuel problem at the
landscape level and the group commented on
how much is getting accomplished because of
the cooperation.
Common Ground - Water –
Michael Jackson and Jim Brobeck
exchange similar views on the need to
have downstream users of water help pay
for the cost of upstream watershed
improvement projects, such as this
Genesee Fuel Reduction project. Fuel
reduction projects will help to protect the
fragile watersheds.
Alicia Knadler, reporter from Feather
River Bulletin, takes notes.
Follow up actions:
•
Complete surface fuel treatments (pile burning and underburning) in Genesee Defensible Fuel Profile Zone
(DFPZ).
•
Update the Plumas County completed fuels treatment map coordinating with all land owners in Plumas
County. Coordination with Plumas Fire Safe Council was suggested to link GIS resources to develop
comprehensive fuel break maps.
Notes prepared by:
HFQLG Monitoring Team Leader: /s/
Reviewed by District Ranger:
Colin Dillingham
__/s/ Michael Donald
Date: August 10, 2010
Date: August 18, 2010