Athihuuf: Slater Fire Restoration Project
Summary
SCH Number
2025061257
Public Agency
Shasta Valley Resource Conservation District
Document Title
Athihuuf: Slater Fire Restoration Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
6/26/2025
Document Description
The project located on 37 acres of Karuk fee land located near Happy Camp, CA, and is within the Slater Fire footprint. Treatments include fuel reduction, invasive plant removal, oak woodland restoration, pile burning and prescribed fire on approximately 37 acres. Treatments include mechanical and hand crews that will focus on the removal of hazardous dead vegetation including standing dead material and brush regrowth. Standing dead and dying hardwoods and conifers will be removed except for trees that show wildlife use of provide other cultural use value. Mechanical operations will include the use of a masticator and chipping equipment and manual treatments will include chainsaws, loppers or pruners, piling and burning. Removal of hazardous trees and fuels reduction will have a direct benefit to the life and safety of residents and travelling motorists in the area. Trees that have firewood value will be
put into decks for tribal members and staff to access, and later processed to be put into firewood banks for the tribal elders and community use. Those trees that are of the right size and specs to be used for tribal fisheries restorations projects will be harvested with root-wad attached for large woody debris stream loading and saved for that purpose. All the rest of the trees, and activity fuels will be put into burn piles that will be burned by tribal fire/fuels staff in the correct burn window following their construction. There is no selling, bartering, or trading planned as a part of this project. The value of the fuel treatments, both in terms of reduced fire behavior/intensity and in terms of impacts will produce long-term benefits. Live trees that do not pose a threat to people or property will be retained.The overall project objective is to utilize low intensity prescribed fire to maintain and enhance previous vegetative fuel reduction efforts in an oak woodland forest type. The goal is to reduce wildfire risk and to enhance fire resilient conditions and to ensure that the exposure of human assets and communities to wildfire risk has been reduced. The proposed Project will provide follow up treatments to previous thinning of white oak (Quercus garryana) and black oak (Quercus kelloggii) to continue efforts to modify forest conditions to maintain oak/woodland forest habitat and reduce fuel loads and prepare forests for long-term stewardship through practices such as prescribed fire.
Contact Information
Name
Dan Blessing
Agency Name
Shasta Valley Resource Conservation District
Job Title
Forester
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Name
Renee Main
Agency Name
Shasta Valley RCD
Job Title
Project Coordinator
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Name
Mark Andre
Agency Name
BBW & Associates
Job Title
Registered Professional Forester
Contact Types
Responsible Agency
Address
Phone
Email
Name
Rod Dowse
Agency Name
Shasta Valley Resource Conservation District
Job Title
District Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Happy Camp
Counties
Siskiyou
Regions
Citywide, Unincorporated
Township
16N
Range
7E
Section
2
Other Location Info
T17N, R7E section 9
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 4; 15304 (e) Minor Alterations to Land
Reasons for Exemption
Pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15304 (Class 4). Class 4 is applicable to projects which consist of minor public or private alterations in the condition of land, water, and/or vegetation which do not involve removal of mature, scenic trees except
for forestry and agricultural purposes. The minor alterations to land proposed by the project would include cultural fire and/or selective manual and/or mechanical weed removal, followed by planting of native plants by seed or small plants in ground
disturbed by severe fire. No channel disturbance or herbicide usage are authorized. The Shasta Valley RCD has reviewed the project and determined that none of the exceptions to the Class 4 categorical exemption apply to the project. Project involves minor alteration of vegetation, including post-wildfire follow-up fuel management activities to reduce the volume of flammable vegetation and dead material to maintain an oak woodland habitat. No healthy, mature, scenic trees will be removed as part of this project. An environmental review was completed concluding that project implementation as designed could not have a significant effect on the environment. The proposed activities do not result in the taking of endangered, rare, or threatened plant or animal species or significant erosion and sedimentation of surface waters. There will be no impact to historic or cultural resources due to minimal ground disturbance and/or avoidance.
County Clerk
Siskiyou
Attachments
Draft Environmental Document [Draft IS, NOI_NOA_Public notices, OPR Summary Form, Appx,]
Notice of Exemption
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