Old Oak Ranch Road Fuel Break Maintenance Project
Summary
SCH Number
2025080843
Public Agency
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
(CAL FIRE)
Document Title
Old Oak Ranch Road Fuel Break Maintenance Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
8/20/2025
Document Description
The proposed project will reduce hazardous fuel loading and maintain an approximate 300-foot wide shaded fuel break along Old Oak Ranch Road near the community of Cedar Ridge, from Big Hill Road to Northridge Road. The project area is approximately 16 acres in size. The project area ranges in elevation from approximately 3,381 to 3,725 feet above sea level. The objective of the project is to reduce hazardous fuel loading and maintain the shaded fuel break along Old Oak Ranch Road, which is important for ingress and egress for residents, Old Oak Ranch Camp and Retreat Center, and the Sierra Outdoor School. Vegetation at the site would best be described as Sierra Mixed Conifer; however, there is a significant amount of canyon live oak and California black oak in the overstory. Overstory tree species consist primarily of ponderosa pine, sugar pine, white fir, incense cedar, California black oak, canyon live oak, and interior live oak. The project area has been masticated in the past and the understory consists primarily of live oak, black oak, poison oak and toyon sprouts ranging from two to ten feet in height. Surface and ladder fuels will be reduced or modified by mastication, chipping, or by hand cutting, piling and burning or lopping and scattering. Mastication may be conducted by a variety of track laying type tractors. Hand work for chipping, as well as piling and burning or lopping and scattering will be conducted by hand crews using chainsaws and other hand tools. Trees less than 12-inches in diameter at breast height (dbh), surface fuels and ladder fuels will be treated to achieve a target residual tree spacing of 25 to 30-feet between stems. Residual trees will be pruned to a height of approximately 8 to 10-feet above ground level. Dead trees of any size may be felled and chipped, piled and burned, or masticated. Masticated or chipped material will be left on site. The reduction in vegetation will create a shaded fuel break condition that will minimize fire behavior and create a stand structure that is resistant to stand replacing fires.
Contact Information
Name
Roger Petersen
Agency Name
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)
Job Title
Forester II
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Cities
Cedar Ridge
Counties
Tuolumne
Regions
Southern California
Total Acres
16
Other Location Info
T2N, R15E, Portions of Sections 9 and 10; MDBM.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 4 §15304 Minor Alterations to Land
Reasons for Exemption
This project fits under 15304- Minor Alterations to Land. The project will consist of removing surface and ladder fuels to maintain an existing fuel break. The project is located in an urban interface area. The project will maintain an open stand condition. The project will not involve the removal of mature or scenic trees. Stand health will be improved by removing dead, dying, and suppressed trees and brush, and increasing growing space for mature, healthy dominant and co-dominant trees. Sensitive species will not be impacted by the proposed project. The project was designed to avoid adverse impacts to watercourses. Mastication and chipping will leave a layer of organic material that will provide excellent erosion control. The project was carefully designed to avoid adverse impacts to archaeological resources. The project was designed to reduce hazardous fuel loading in a strategic area around the community of Cedar Ridge, and will make Tuolumne County more resilient regarding wildfires.
Review by CAL FIRE staff confirmed that no exceptions apply that would preclude the use of a Notice of Exemption for this project. The Department has concluded that no significant environmental impact would occur to aesthetics, agriculture and forestland/timberland, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, energy, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use planning, mineral resources, noise, populations and housing, public services, recreation, transportation/ traffic, utilities and service systems, or to wildfire. Documentation of the environmental review completed by the Department is kept on file at the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit Headquarters in San Andreas.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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