SAN JUAN RIDGE, Calif. January 6, 2020 – The Yuba Watershed Institute will begin working this week to implement a 200-foot-wide shaded fuel break along key roads traversing U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land on the San Juan Ridge. A total of 55 acres will be treated along roads that have been identified as critical for ingress and egress in the case of wildfire, including Tyler Foote Crossing Road, Jackass Flats Road, Sages Road, Salmon Mine Road and Old Mill Road. The fuel break will provide safer access for residents and fire personnel in the event of a wildfire.
This project was developed in partnership with the BLM’s Mother Lode Field Office. The contractor hired by the Yuba Watershed Institute will be using the shaded fuel break prescription developed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CAL FIRE). Selected shrubs and understory trees will be hand cut, chipped, and hauled to a nearby former hydraulic mine site, owned by the San Juan Mining Corporation, to help with soil remediation.
This work is part of the Inimim Forest Restoration Project, a multi-year effort to improve forest health and reduce fire risk on 1,200 acres of BLM land on the San Juan Ridge. The fuel break is funded through CAL FIRE’s Climate Change Investments (CCI) Fire Prevention grant program. Climate Change Investments (CCI) is a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities. The Sierra Nevada Conservancy has also contributed grant funding to help with the planning of this project. The project is expected to be completed by the end of January, weather permitting.