Attachment B, Scope of Work
10. This project is focused on establishing a 25 acre fuel reduction zone up
and down the protruding ridge off Stevenson Mountain on the east edge of 134
acres on Musick Creek, land owned by the Sierra Music and Arts Institute. The
ridge runs north/south from about midslope on Stevenson down into the drainage
of Musick Creek, from our north property boundary to our southern line. Our
portion of the Musick Creek drainage slopes gently to the southwest, with steep
and overgrown lands below (westward) in the Jose Basin, at distance of _ mi.(US
Forest Service lands, high priority for fuel reduction treatment) and steep
drainage and hillside above us leading directly into greater Shaver Lake community
at distance of _ mi. To our south and east and steeply upslope is the Dogwood
subdivision, at distance of _ mi. Our north line abuts USFS lands above, which
are steep and dangerously overloaded with brush-also high priority for fuels
treatment with the FS West of Shaver Project. Our acreage exists as a gentler
slope, a stair step between steeper areas above and below. Because of this we
can function as a last best chance to stop catastrophic fires from crossing
into vulnerable developed communities. At-risk communities protected by our
project would be Shaver Lake, Meadow Lakes, Pine Ridge, Big Creek and Lakeshore.
We have already obtained and used $100,000 federal Community Protection funding
in '04, which has allowed us to make significant fuel reduction on our lower
portion (approx 30 acres) and to clear and open up our access roads and make
some lower fuel breaks. We have additional federal funding requests in process
currently and we intend to ultimately treat our entire acreage so as to make
our property accessible and defensible in the event of a wildfire blasting up
from Jose Basin or the San Joaquin River below. Our work will also contribute
to an effective fuel reduction zone extending from Blue Canyon around to Cressman/Peterson
projects, Dog Patch and Dogwood subdivisions, through our own area and connecting
to County projects (waste treatment facility acreage) and the West of Shaver
Forest Service project; all of these are in progress and/or high priority. The
net effect of these projects will be continuous protection for the above at-risk
communities and associated watersheds. This line of defense can provide necessary
time for evacuation of residents and allow fire apparatus and crew to enter
with a margin of safety and to fight fire in defensible space. Fires entering
from below or laterally would slow down, drop from crown to ground and encounter
lean ground fuel conditions. The fuel reduction zone will therefore be of tremendous
value in reducing likelihood of catastrophic wildfire and its impact on human
life, property, wildlife and watershed.Project Factors
All sensitive areas (archaeological, environmental, favored individual trees,
etc.) will be flagged.
Our on-the-ground strategy involves hand crews (with chainsaws and pole pruners),
chippers and excavator/masticator. All removed materials will be chipped (and
scattered, or collected for road topping), masticated, burned or removed. Residual
trees and brush will be pruned. Road drainage and grading will be completed
after fuels work concludes. Work will be done by contractors, registered professional
foresters, environmental consultants and in house staff and volunteers from
our organization. Vegetation Treatments
1. Overstory- All larger trees may be left in the overstory provided that trees
should have been limbed to a hanging distance of at least ten feet (lowest point
on a branch is at least 10 feet off of the ground).
2. Understory-
a. Trees in the understory (8” in diameter at breast height or smaller)
which are within 20-25 feet of an overstory crown must be removed. Understory
trees which fall within openings can be left if spaced at least 15-20 feet between
crowns and still meet the 20-25 feet away from overstory crowns.
b. No more than 20% of the understory area should be occupied by brush. Pockets
of brush which are left must be spaced in such a way that a ground fire cannot
be sustained.
3. Forest Floor -All dead material 1” and larger must be removed from the
site, piled, burned, or chipped and spread on site to a depth of no more than
4”. Large down
woody material (greater than 30” diameter) may be left if sufficient clearance
is provided
to minimize chance of ignition.4. Burning-
a. Burning will be used in areas inaccessible to chipping/masticating equipment.
b. Piles will not be located adjacent to living trees.Vegetation Description
The overstory is a mix of hardwood and conifer; live oak, black oak, dogwood,
alder, incense cedar, ponderosa pine, sugar pine and white fir predominate.
The brush species include primarily; manzanita, mountain mahogany and buck brush.
The project vegetation is on average about 70% trees and 30% brush.
12. Watershed Protection Values
The main thrust of our project is to reduce chances of catastrophic wildfire
for our own property and for adjacent (uphill) federal lands, adjacent private
development, adjacent county property and the greater Shaver Lake community,
which is also directly above us. The project will help protect Musick Creek
drainage (which flows through the project acreage), Shaver Lake Reservoir and
various other feeder watersheds, Jose Basin and San Joaquin River and reservoirs
below. Currently, fuel load is dangerously unacceptable. Along with other projects
underway and on high priority, an effective fuel reduction zone is being cleared
all around below greater Shaver Lake.
Musick Creek is a class one watercourse and provides significant water to the
San Joaquin River. Fire can be beneficial for watersheds but the management
of vegetation is important to maintain stability of the watershed. An overabundance
of trees and brush consumes large amounts of water and can cause stunted growth,
weakening resistance to fire, diseases and infestations. Protection of the Musick
Creek watershed must include:
1. Prevention of hot fires through vegetation management with a goal of preventing
soil erosion
2. A managed forest floor retaining enough vegetation to keep soil in place
and control runoff that can lead to gullies, silt deposits and other problems
3. Thinning of brush and trees and separating crowns of remaining vegetation,
allowing more sunlight penetration reaching forest floor, promoting growth of
native grasses bearing seed, which attracts and feeds quail, deer and other
fauna.
4. Breaking fuel ladders over large expanse to discourage wildfire originating
laterally or below.
Current conditions on site include:
Extensive and continuous fuels with no breaks, fuel ladders that can result
in crown fires, very heavy fuel loading in critical locations, and concentrations
of highly flammable fuels in locations where frequent ignitions are more likely
to occur. The Music Creek Watershed Protection Project will:
Create fuel breaks in strategic locations, helping keep wildfires smaller.
Remove fuel ladders, helping to keep fires on the ground and reduce the risk
of crown fires and flying embers that cause spot fires. .
Reduce fuel loading in critical locations, helping to reduce wildfire intensity.
Reduce highly flammable fuels in locations where frequent ignitions are more
likely, helping to prevent escapes which can lead to large wildfires.
Free up water and other resources and make them available to remaining timber,
watersheds and other uses.
The Music Creek Watershed Protection Project will serve to protect the following
watershed values at risk, which are adjacent or downstream:
Drinking water supplies for the communities of Shaver Lake (by protecting Shaver
Lake Reservoir and environs), Dogwood subdivision, western San Joaquin Valley
communities including Fresno and Clovis, through the San Joaquin River reservoirs
into which Musick Creek feeds.
Critical habitat (specifically on Musick Creek which has remarkably intact native
biological communities)
Water-oriented recreation at Shaver Lake (immediately above project area), Jose
Basin, San Joaquin River and several of its reservoirs (below).
13. Local Fire Plan Compatibility
The proposed project has been coordinated with the California Dept. of Forestry
with the help of Gary Whitson, Unit Forester, (559) 485-7500 x 107.
The project protects three communities listed in the official “at risk”
list as part of the National Wildfire Urban Interface Act. The project would
enhance existing projects from Blue Canyon, Peterson and Cressman Roads, Dogpatch
and Dogwood subdivisions, Fresno County land at sewage treatment plant, USFS
projects West of Shaver and Jose Basin. Taken together, these projects will
protect from below the communities and watersheds of Shaver, Lakeshore, Big
Creek and beyond. Our land is in the middle of these other projects and is a
crucial corridor of travel for wildfire. Our project would be a linchpin.
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