Town of Washington Wildfire Defense (SNC1836)
Summary
SCH Number
2026030290
Public Agency
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Document Title
Town of Washington Wildfire Defense (SNC1836)
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
3/6/2026
Document Description
Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) would provide funding to the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services to partner with the Tahoe National Forest to implement fuels-reduction treatments around the town of Washington. The purpose of the project is to provide defensible opportunities to protect Washington from wildfire, and critical ingress for fire responders and egress for people to escape a fire. Up to 172 acres will be treated through hand-thinning and hand-piling of ladder fuels, dense surface fuels, and trees up to 12 inches in diameter. Approximately 5.5 miles of containment line will be constructed around the treatment units, and 1.4 miles of roadside treatment will help maintain nearly nine miles of evacuation routes along Washington and Alpha roads. All work will be done consistent with Best Management Practices and Management Requirements specified in the Tahoe National Forest NEPA Decisions authorizing the project activities.
Contact Information
Name
Mary Akens
Agency Name
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Job Title
General Counsel
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
Alex Keeble-Toll
Agency Name
Nevada County Office of Emergency Services
Job Title
Director
Contact Types
Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Location
Cities
Washington
Counties
Nevada
Regions
Northern California
Other Location Info
Tahoe National Forest lands adjacent to the town of Washington, about 13 miles northeast of Nevada City, along and near Alpha Road, Alpha Loop, and Washington Road. Treatment center at approximately -120.795, 39.353 degrees.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Pub. Resources Code, section 4799.05, subd. (d)(1)
Reasons for Exemption
Public Resources Code, section 4799.05 statutorily exempts from CEQA projects for prescribed fire, reforestation, habitat restoration, thinning, or fuel-reduction projects, or to related activities included in the project description, undertaken, in whole or in part, on federal lands to reduce the risk of high-severity wildfire that have been reviewed under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) if the primary role of a state or local agency is providing funding or staffing for those projects. The SNC has authorized/approved the use of the funding for the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services to partner with Tahoe National Forest to conduct fuels-reduction treatments on National Forest lands. The project was reviewed in its entirety in the Tahoe National Forest’s South Yuba Roadside Fuel Break Project Categorical Exclusion Decision Memo signed on May 5, 2015, and the Environmental Assessment for Washington Fuels Reduction Project with Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact signed on June 3, 2004 and a Determination of NEPA Adequacy signed on January 30, 2026.
County Clerk
Nevada
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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