Orange County Firesafe Council CAR Community Hardening Phase 1 Project, Part 2
Summary
SCH Number
2026070144
Public Agency
Orange County Fire Authority
Document Title
Orange County Firesafe Council CAR Community Hardening Phase 1 Project, Part 2
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
7/6/2026
Document Description
The California Sustainability Group proposes vegetation removal from 7 .50 acres in three treatment zones, focusing on removal of fuel and vegetation no longer meeting OCFA Vegetation Management Guidelines from 100 feel of structures and along Robinson Ranch Road, the only access road to these communities surrounded by the Wildland Urban Interface. The scope of work for the treatment zones will be for acacia removal, and in registered fuel modification areas, they will remove dead vegetation, volunteers, and up to 50% of shrubs to meet Zone C thinning requirements. Trees will be skirted up to 6 feet to meet minimum vertical clearance requirements within 100 feet of structures.
Contact Information
Name
Scott Hatch
Agency Name
OCFA
Job Title
Wildland Resource Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Name
Bethany Ross
Agency Name
California Sustainability Group
Job Title
President
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Phone
Name
Bethany Ross
Agency Name
California Sustainability Group
Job Title
President
Contact Types
Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Location
Cities
Ranch, Rancho Santa Margarita
Counties
Orange
Regions
Southern California
Cross Streets
Robinson Ranch and Trabuco Highlands
Other Location Info
In the Robinson Ranch and Trabuco Highlands neighborhoods
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 4, Section 15304
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed fuel reduction project is consistent with CEQA Guidelines Categorical Exemption Class 4 in that the project will not take endangered, rare, or threatened
species or cause sedimentation into surface waters. There is a potential for endangered, rare, or threatened species to occur in some of the areas of native coastal sage scrub, but the project would avoid direct take through implementation of project design features included in the project description. The project is otherwise targeting both native and non-native plants to meet firesafe hardening requirements within the allowed 100-foot defensible space buffer from structures. In addition, because the project consists entirely of the removal of vegetation above ground and will not result in ground disturbance, it is considered exempt from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s (CAL FIRE) cultural resources review as it qualifies as a “fire-safe project” to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires to surrounding communities by removing fire-prone vegetation within the project site.
County Clerk
Orange
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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