Ukiah West Hills Lookout Peak Trail Fire-Hardening
Summary
SCH Number
2026041101
Public Agency
Mendocino County Resource Conservation District
Document Title
Ukiah West Hills Lookout Peak Trail Fire-Hardening
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
4/23/2026
Document Description
The project involves manual vegetation treatment along approximately 160 acres of the developing Lookout Peak Trail in the western hills of the City of Ukiah. Treatment activities will occur within a corridor extending up to 50 feet on each side of the trail centerline and will include the use of hand tools to remove hazardous dead or dying trees, reduce downed woody debris, and conduct limited thinning of understory vegetation. Cut material will be treated using lop-and-scatter, hand-piling, or chipping from existing roadways.
No ground disturbance, grading, or use of heavy mechanized equipment is proposed. The project is intended to improve public safety and ecosystem resilience by reducing localized wildfire risk, improving emergency access and egress, and enhancing defensible space along the trail corridor while maintaining overall vegetation structure and function. Beneficiaries include nearby residents, trail users, emergency responders, and the broader Ukiah community.
Contact Information
Name
Doug Turk
Agency Name
Mendocino County RCD
Job Title
Forestry Program Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Ukiah
Counties
Mendocino
Regions
Citywide
Cross Streets
Helen and Redwood Avenues
Zip
95482
Total Acres
160
Parcel #
1570300305, 1570501600, 1570700500, 1570600305, 1570501400, 1570300205, 0031901500, 0031901700,
State Highways
101
Airports
Ukiah Municipal Airport
Schools
Nokomis, Grace Hudson, Yokayo Elementary Schools
Waterways
Doolan Creek
Township
T15N
Range
R13W
Section
25
Base
MDM
Other Location Info
APNs: 1570300305, 1570501600, 1570700500, 1570600305, 1570501400, 1570300205, 0031901500, 0031901700, 1570500305, 1570501300, 1570501500, 0031901100, 1570501800, 0031901600, 0010410100, 0010408300, 1570600205
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 4 – Minor Alterations to Land (Section 15304)
Reasons for Exemption
The project qualifies for a Class 4 Categorical Exemption (CEQA Guidelines Section 15304 – Minor Alterations to Land) because it consists of minor alterations to vegetation that do not involve significant disturbance of land or natural resources. Project activities are limited to manual vegetation management within an existing trail corridor and include the removal of dead and dying trees, reduction of downed woody material, and limited thinning of small-diameter understory vegetation. Treatment methods include hand cutting, lop-and-scatter, hand-piling, and chipping conducted from existing roadways. No grading, excavation, or ground-disturbing activities are proposed, and no heavy mechanized equipment will be used. The project will not result in significant impacts to environmental resources. Vegetation treatment is limited in intensity and extent, avoids removal of mature trees except where necessary for safety, and is designed to maintain native vegetation structure and function. The project will not cause substantial soil disturbance, erosion, or slope instability, and will not adversely affect sensitive habitats due to the limited and selective nature of the work. The project does not contribute to a cumulative impact and does not involve unusual circumstances that would result in a significant effect on the environment. Accordingly, none of the exceptions to the use of categorical exemptions identified in CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply.
County Clerk
Mendocino
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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