Removal of highly flammable, overgrown brush and small trees is in full swing along Lower South Fork Road. Crews from the Trinity County Resource Conservation District (TCRCD) are clearing out “ladder fuels” that have the potential of to carry flames upward into the treetop canopy where they can quickly spread.

TCRCD’s hard-working crew of 4-5 started March 9, and using chainsaws and a chipper blazed away on a stretch of undeveloped property, thinning dead and low limbs while clearing heavy brush back 100 feet from the county road. Landowners along South Fork Road had given permission by signing temporary entry permits that allowed work to be done on their property within that corridor.

Residents have been worried that it’s just a matter of time before a fire jeopardized their safety, their homes and their scenic surroundings. Private parcels are patch-worked along the narrow 11-mile, single-lane road that is heavily traveled by tourists and locals alike. The road leads to several public river access points and to a popular trailhead, which means it gets a lot of traffic during the high-risk fire season. Increasing off-highway vehicle (OHV) use on Hennessey ridge, plus wood-cutting and hunting in the area have all heightened the risk of fire.

Residents are happy to see this fuels reduction project moving forward, but it didn’t start overnight. The first community planning meeting took place at Salyer Volunteer Fire Department back in December 2004. With the help of Trinity County Fire Safe Council and the TCRCD, concerned landowners and local fire officials worked to have this area identified as “high risk” for fire danger because of the heavy fuel load. That gave it priority as a project in the Trinity County Community Wildfire Protection Plan to receive funding for fuels reduction work.

That funding, provided by California Fire Safe Council with monies from the USDA Forest Service National Fire Plan, is targeted for use on private lands only, and is intended to reduce fire hazards while ensuring good access for responding firefighters and equipment in the event of a wildfire. Landowners in the area view the project as a complement to their own ongoing seasonal fuels reduction efforts, and everyone knows there’s always more to be done.

For more information on this project or how to determine if your area is high priority for fuels reduction within Trinity County, call the Trinity County Resource Conservation District at (530) 623-6004, go online at www.tcrcd.net, or visit www.firesafecouncil.org.

Proper clearance of flammable vegetation to 100 feet away from buildings dramatically increases the chance of your house and other structures surviving a wildfire. This defensible space also provides for firefighter safety when protecting homes during a wildland fire.
Lower South Fork Road corridor was overgrown with flammable brush prior to fuels reduction work by TCRCD crews.
Clearing out low branches and brush along roadway reduced risk for flames to spread, helping make this area fire safe. TCRCD crews chipped much of the cut material