Improving Wildfire Resilience Capacity in Western Colusa County
Summary
SCH Number
2026041202
Public Agency
Colusa County Resource Conservation District
(CCRCD)
Document Title
Improving Wildfire Resilience Capacity in Western Colusa County
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
4/24/2026
Document Description
The project supports wildfire -resilience efforts in western Colusa County through outreach, defensible- space evaluations and assistance on private lands. It benefits local residents and communities by reducing wildfire risk and improving preparedness. The program is designed to assist vulnerable property owners by reducing hazardous vegetation and establishing defensible space in accordance with Public Resources Code (PRC) §4291.
Contact Information
Name
Kurt Vaughn
Agency Name
Colusa County Resource Conservation District
Job Title
Program Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Western Colusa County
Counties
Colusa
Regions
Countywide
Zip
95979
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Public Resource Code (PRC) 21080.49(c)
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed project qualifies for a Statutory Exemption under Public Resource Code (PRC) 21080.49(c). Pursuant to Section 21080.49(c), this project consists of the establishment or enhancement of residential home hardening or defensible space for wildfire risk reduction within 200 feet of a legal structure located in a high or very high wildfire hazard zone. The project involves removal of an abundance of small-diameter understory trees and brush species adjacent to habitable structures to reduce the vertical and horizontal continuity of forest fuels, reduce wildfire intensity and severity near developed communities, and to comply with PRC 4291 and local ordinances. No exceptions apply which would preclude the use of a Notice of Exemption for this project.The project consists of minor treatments to vegetation in the form of hand thinning and chipping. The activities do not result in the taking of endangered, rare, or threatened plant or animal species, nor do they cause sedimentation to surface waters. This project will not convert forestland to non-forest uses, and all treated vegetation will have the ability to grow back. The Colusa County Resource Conservation District has concluded that no significant environmental impact would occur to aesthetics, agriculture and forestland/timberland, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use planning, mineral resources, noise, population and housing, public services, recreation, transportation/traffic, utilities and service systems, or to wildfire. The CCRCD Board of Directors has authorized staff to file appropriate documentation and, furthermore, made a determination that the current fuel overgrowth poses a significant threat to Nevada County communities and that it is an urgent priority to implement wildfire mitigation projects to protect life, property, and the environment from wildfire.
County Clerk
Colusa
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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