CALFIRE Chappellet, Knife and Flying L Ranch Prescribed Burn
Summary
SCH Number
2026091059
Public Agency
Napa County
Document Title
CALFIRE Chappellet, Knife and Flying L Ranch Prescribed Burn
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
9/24/2026
Document Description
The project will involve pile burning operations to prepare the site for broadcast burning by reducing fuel loading and creating conditions suitable for low-intensity broadcast burning. Broadcast burning will then be utilized as a land management tool to help protect communities, maintain critical access and egress routes, strengthen strategically important areas for wildfire suppression, and promote long-term forest health, rangeland improvement, and watershed resilience. The project will involve pile burning and broadcast burning to reduce and remove accumulated dead vegetation and other hazardous fuels remaining from the 2017 Atlas Fire and 2020 Hennessey Fire. These activities will help protect the rural communities of Atlas Peak, Soda Canyon, Sage Canyon and the surrounding areas. Broadcast burning will also assist in reducing the encroachment of invasive species and promote more resilient native plant communities. The property is located within an area of the County identified as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, where fuel reduction treatments are essential to reducing wildfire risk and improving community protection. The project will adhere to various Best Management Practices and will also obtain all necessary permits from applicable agencies, such as a Smoke Management Plan from the Bay Area Air Quality District, as well as LE-5 and LE-7 permits from CALFIRE.
Contact Information
Name
Dana Morrison
Agency Name
Napa County Planning, Building and Environmental Services
Job Title
Supervising Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
Ryan Isham
Agency Name
CALFIRE Sonoma Lake Unit
Job Title
Deputy Chief - Community Risk
Contact Types
Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Email
Location
Coordinates
Cities
unincorporated area, Yountville
Counties
Napa
Regions
Northern California, Unincorporated
Cross Streets
Sage Canyon Road and Long Ranch Road
Zip
94558
Total Acres
2600
Parcel #
032-560-014-000, 032-560-022-000, 032-560-030-000, 032-560-031-000, 032-560-012-000...
State Highways
None
Railways
None
Airports
None
Schools
None
Waterways
Creeks: Rector, Fir, Fir Canyon, Sage, Clear, Vinehill and Middle Creek
Township
07N
Range
04W
Section
9
Base
MND
Other Location Info
Parcel Number continued..., 032-560-033-000, 032-560-034-000, 032-560-035-000, 023-020-003-000, 032-020-044-000, 032-020-045-000, 032-020-046-000, 032-020-047-000, 032-020-013-000, 032-020-014-000, 032-020-048-000 and 032-540-004-000
Other Sections: 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, and 15
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 4 - Section 15304 + Class 8- Section 15308
Reasons for Exemption
Pursuant to CEQA Section 15300, the proposed project would be considered Categorically Exempt based on at least two Exemption Classes. The project site is not listed on any hazardous waste sites enumerated under Government Code Section 65962.5. As a result, there is no reasonable possibility that the project will have a significant effect on the environment.
EXEMPT STATUS (CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION SECTIONS):
• Class 4 15304 (Minor Alterations to Land): Minor public or private alterations in the condition of land, water, and/or vegetation which do not involve removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees except for forestry or agricultural purposes.
• Class 8 15308 Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of Natural Resources: Actions taken by regulatory agencies, as authorized by state or local ordinance, to assure the maintenance, restoration, enhancement, or protection of the environment where the regulatory process involves procedures for protection of the environment. Construction activities and relaxation of standards allowing environmental degradation are not included in this exemption.
FINDINGS FOR EXEMPTIONS:
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) {Section 21000, et. seq. of the California Public Resources Code}, requires analysis of agency approvals of discretionary 'projects. " A "project, under CEQA, is defined as "the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. " The Project is defined as a project under CEQA.
Staff has reviewed the proposed project to determine the required level of review under the CEQA and has determined the project to be Categorically Exempt from the CEQA pursuant to the following CEQA Guidelines:
• The project meets the requirements of CEQA Article 19 Class 4 (Section 15304) Categorical Exemption "Minor Alterations to Land" as the project aims to utilize mechanized equipment/techniques, including "pile burning" and "broadcast burning" with minimal to no ground disturbance to manage and maintain approximately 2600 acres of vertical and horizontal fire fuels in the County. The entirety of the 2600 acres is located within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ). The managing and maintaining of vertical and horizontal fire fuels is a common practice within communities with a high or very high fire hazard. The project will manage and maintain fire fuels throughout the project area. This fuel reduction treatment is strategically located to improve defensible space, provide safe egress for evacuating citizens, provide safe ingress for emergency resources, protect critical infrastructure and ultimately facilitate in the protection of life and property from catastrophic wildfire events. Additionally, the project will implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) and restoration efforts with non-invasive species to restore natural habitats and help prevent and/or reduce the amount of sediment and runoff into nearby drainages/waterways. By managing and maintaining wildfire intensity and severity, it will improve defensible space, provide safer egress for evacuating citizens, provide safer ingress for emergency resources, and ultimately facilitate the protection of life and property. Also, project activities will not result in the taking of endangered, rare, and/or threatened plant or animal species, or cause sedimentation to surface waters. The project will implement Best Management Practices (BMPs), including restoration efforts with noninvasive species to restore natural habitats and help prevent and/or reduce the amount of sediment and runoff into nearby drainages/waterways.
• The project meets the requirements of CEQA Article 19 Class 8 (Section 15308) Categorical Exemption "Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of Natural Resources" as the project consists of actions by regulatory agencies as authorized by state laws or local ordinances. The project will utilize mechanized equipment/techniques, including "pile burning" and "broadcast burning" with minimal to no ground disturbance to manage and maintain approximately 2600 acres of vertical and horizontal fire fuels throughout the County. The entirety of the proposed 2600-acre project area is located within the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ). The managing and maintaining of vertical and horizontal fire fuels is a common practice within communities. This fuel reduction treatment is strategically located to moderate the movement of wildfire, improve defensible space, provide safe egress for evacuating citizens, provide safe ingress for emergency resources, protect critical infrastructure, and ultimately facilitate in the protection of life and property from catastrophic wildfire events. The project will implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) and restoration efforts with non-invasive species to restore natural habitats and help prevent and/or reduce the amount of sediment and runoff into nearby drainages/waterways. Additionally, the referenced agencies confirmed the hazardous fuel reduction clearance is mandatory to moderate the movement of wildfire, improve defensible space, provide safe egress for evacuating citizens, provide safe ingress for emergency resources, protect critical infrastructure, adhere to local ordinances and ultimately facilitate in the protection of life and property from catastrophic wildfire events.
County staff also reviewed all potential exceptions (Section 15300.2) to the categorical exemptions and determined that no exceptions would apply: (a) because there are no project impacts and/or no cumulatively significant impacts; (b) There would be no significant effects due to unusual circumstances because the routine maintenance and/or removal of hazardous forest/fire fuels to reduce wildfire intensity/severity, including the protection of life and property from catastrophic events is a common practice in communities; (c) There would be no damage to scenic resources, historic buildings, and/or rock outcroppings; (d) The project is not located on a hazardous waste site; and (e) The project is designed to require minimal to no ground disturbance. Furthermore, there are no known special circumstances that exist which would create a reasonable possibility that the project will have a significant adverse effect on the environment. Therefore, the project meets the criteria outlined in CEQA Guidelines Section 15304 and 15308 and would be categorically exempt from the requirements of CEQA. No further CEQA review is required. The project site is not on any of the lists of hazardous waste sites enumerated under Government Code Section 65962.5.
County Clerk
Napa
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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