The following is a press release issued by the Mendocino National Forest:
The increasing frequency and extent of high-intensity wildfires pose a significant threat to California’s ecosystems. To address the current wildfire crisis and restore forest health, Forest Supervisor Wade McMaster has signed a decision on the Mendocino Prescribed Fire and Fuels Management Strategy. McMaster signed the document in front of a diverse group of local partners, tribal representatives and community members at a FireScape Mendocino workshop and 10th anniversary celebration, held in Williams, Calif.
“The Mendocino Prescribed Fire and Fuels Management Strategy is incredibly important to me and my team, especially after we’ve had several catastrophic, dynamic fire seasons and other challenges with insect infestation, drought and back-to-back winters with severe storms,” said McMaster.
“This forest-wide and multi-phased approach will allow us to more quickly adapt to changing conditions, reduce impacts from future fire and improve forest resilience and health.”
With this decision, forest managers can use prescribed fire with manual and mechanical treatments to reduce the build-up of hazardous fuels (e.g., grasses, brush, small-diameter trees, downed trees and woody debris).
Treatments will be phased over time, targeting overly dense forest underbrush and small trees before and after wildfires. Prescribed fires will be applied at varying intensities, sizes, frequencies, seasons, and places, and manual and mechanical fuels-reduction tools will be utilized up to 20,000 acres per year to achieve and maintain desired vegetative conditions.
Treatments will vary across the landscape and will depend on several factors, including terrain, fire severity, desired conditions and ecology. Several constraints are in place to protect key resources. The strategy excludes treatment within Wilderness Areas and within 100-acre nest groves for the endangered Northern Spotted Owl. Also, treatments like thinning to reduce fuels are limited to small trees, up to 12 inches in diameter. No new roads or landings will be constructed under the strategy.
Projects under the strategy will have to meet site-specific conditions. Before the forest can implement in the field, projects will be vetted by an interdisciplinary team in a screening process. Local tribes, partners and collaborative groups like FireScape Mendocino will also play an important role in monitoring and helping identify potential areas for treatment.
“As we look to return fire to the landscape, our relationships are going to be key. I am excited to work alongside our tribal partners to incorporate cultural burning and healing as we move forward,” McMaster said.
The Mendocino Prescribed Fire and Fuels Management Strategy is consistent with the post-fire restoration framework and conforms to several elements of the 2023 Wildfire Crisis Strategy, which calls for a new paradigm to step up the pace and scale of the fuels and forest health treatments.
More information about the Mendocino Prescribed Fire and Fuels Management Strategy, including the decision notice and environmental assessment are available on the project website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/mendocino/?project=59722.
