Hazardous Fuels Reduction on Sierra National Forest Lands
NORTH FORK – Work on the Sugar Pine and Cedar Valley Public Lands Stewardship Project is set to begin in early July, beginning with the Cedar Valley area near Oakhurst, CA.
This 345-acre project is made possible by a Shared Stewardship initiative with the Bass Lake Ranger District of Sierra National Forest, CAL FIRE MMU, and Yosemite/Sequoia Resource Conservation & Development Council (YSRCDC). YSRCDC is contracting with Central Sierra Enterprise, Inc to reduce hazardous fuels to implement a fuel break and defensible fuel profile zones which will protect nearby communities at high risk of wildfire.
Complementary to this project is the Cedar Valley Private Lands Project which is currently active, and the Sugar Pine Private Lands Project which was completed in 2020. The strategic approach of treating on both private and public lands provides a holistic and contiguous treatment across the landscape to reduce hazardous fuel loading in high wildfire risk areas. It also provides firefighting personnel with strategic and advantageous points to attack a wildfire should an incident occur.
The Cedar Valley Fuel Reduction Project is part of YSRCDC’s larger Madera Strategic Wildfire Mitigation Project (MSWMP).
MSWMP funds the strategic implementation of fuel breaks and defensible landscape projects in Eastern Madera County to protect up to 15,000 habitable structures, as well as businesses, infrastructure and community resources. Funding for this project provided by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection as part of the California Climate Investments Program.
MSWMP is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment —particularly in disadvantaged communities.
The Cap-and-Trade program also creates a financial incentive for industries to invest in clean technologies and develop innovative ways to reduce pollution. California Climate Investments projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero-emission vehicles, environmental restoration, more sustainable agriculture, recycling, and much more. At least 35 percent of these investments are located within and benefiting residents of disadvantaged communities, low-income communities, and low-income households across California.
For more information, visit the California Climate Investments website at: www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov.
Yosemite Sequoia Resource Conservation & Development Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to natural resource conservation and economic development. The Council service area includes the rural and foothill communities of Fresno, Madera, Mariposa and Tulare counties.
