Casci Roadside Fuel Break
Summary
SCH Number
2025120501
Public Agency
Nevada County
Document Title
Casci Roadside Fuel Break
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
12/11/2025
Document Description
The Casci Fuel Break project is intended to improve potential evacuation routes and to install a potential holding feature for first responders in the event of a wildfire. The proposed treatment area is primarily on private lands that are identified as "High Priority Project Areas" by the 2025 Nevada County OES Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). The project will utilize manual thinning to reduce ladder fuels and disrupt vertical and horizontal continuity of vegetation. This will be achieved by manually cutting dead, dying, diseased, and small trees less than 12" diameter, limbing residual trees, and removing occasional shrubs. Material will be chipped on the roadside and rebroadcast back into the unit(s).
This project will promote wildfire resilience and forest health by decreasing canopy density, increasing canopy spacing, increasing canopy base height, and increasing quadradic mean diameter of the retained stands. Residual ladder and surface fuels will be reduced and less continuous than the original condition. The resulting landscape will support the shared vision of Nevada County OES's and CAL FIRE's Washington Ridge Crew to mitigate damage to life and property in the event of a wildfire.
Contact Information
Name
Alex Geritz
Agency Name
Nevada County Office of Emergency Services
Job Title
Forestry Projects Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Location
Cities
Nevada City
Counties
Nevada
Regions
Countywide
Cross Streets
Casci Road
Zip
95959
Total Acres
50
State Highways
20
Railways
0
Airports
Nevada County Airport
Waterways
North Fork Deer Creek, Scotts Flat Reservoir, Rock Creek
Township
17N
Range
9E, 10
Section
Multip
Base
MDM
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
PRC 21080.49(b)
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed project is Statutorily exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Public Relations Code 21080.49(b). This project involves the installation of fire clearance of up to 100ft from the centerline of the roadway to remove flammable vegetation. Vegetation and trees less than 12" DBH will be manually cut, limbed, chipped, and rebroadcast back into the units to disrupt vertical and horizontal continuity of forest fuels.
County Clerk
Nevada
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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