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Project Information

The Mokelumne Amador Calaveras Forest Health and Resilience Project aims to improve forest health and landscape resilience. The project area spans 246,838-acres with 126,122 acres managed by the Calaveras Ranger District of the Stanislaus National Forest and 120,716 acres managed by the Amador Ranger District of the Eldorado National Forest. Proposed activities include forest thinning through timber harvest, fuel reduction through mastication, fuel break construction, prescribed fire, and mitigation of non-native invasive plants.  These actions will help to reduce the density and accumulation of vegetation in strategic areas to provide conditions for forests to better adapt to natural disturbances such as insect and disease infestations, drought, and wildfire.

Why This Work Is Needed

• Healthier trees: Overcrowded trees remain small and stressed. Thinning gives them space to build stronger crowns and roots.
• Wildfire response: Creating fuelbreaks provides a safer space for firefighter operations and improves containment lines.
• More resilient landscapes: Reducing stand density to increase forest health and resilience.
• Community resilience: Forest management creates jobs in local communities and reduces risks to those communities from severe wildfires.

How to Access and Read the Documents

Project website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/projects/65796

The draft environmental impact statement provides: 

• The purpose and need for action,
• A description of the proposed action and no action alternative,
• The potentially affected environment and environmental impacts
• List of agencies and persons consulted and requested comments from
• Compliance with other (than NEPA) applicable laws, regulations, or Forest Service policy.  

The reports and other supporting documents include:

• Maps of the proposed actions
• Biological Evaluations, Biological Assessment, Watershed and Soils Report, Human Health and Risk Assessment, Riparian Conservation Objective Report, Management Indicator Species Report, Migratory Bird Report
• Project-specific forest plan amendment compliance document

For a quick entry point:

• Start with the Proposed Action 
• Review the maps for where work may occur
• Explore the effects sections for topics you care most about

How to Comment Effectively

Your comments help strengthen the final analysis. Helpful comments are:

• Specific: Identify locations or resources of concern.
• Linked to the draft EIS: Reference sections, map, or figures when possible.
• Solution-oriented: Offer suggestions or ways to resolve your concerns.
• Timely: Submit during the 14-day comment period for your input to be considered.

How to Submit Comments

• Online: https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?project=65796
• By mail: Eldorado National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 100 Forni Road, Placerville, CA 95667, Attn: MAC Project

Comments, including names and addresses, will become part of the public record and will be available for public inspection in the reading room: https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/ReadingRoom?project=65796

Deadline:

Please submit your comments by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Comments received after this date may not be considered.

This DEIS comment period is the final designated opportunity to provide input before we complete the EIS and develop the Record of Decisions. Your timely, specific written comments are essential to ensure your concerns are considered.

What Happens After the Comment Period

• The interdisciplinary team and responsible officials review and evaluate all comments,
• Clarifications or modifications may be made to the analysis or addressed in the Record of Decision(s),
• The Forest Service will complete the Environmental Impact Statement, and the EPA will publish a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register
• The Forest Service will publish the completed Environmental Impact Statement and signed Record of Decision(s) approving the project on the project website in conjunction with the publication of the NOA in the Federal Register
• Upon publication of the NOA and posting of the completed EIS and signed ROD(s) implementation may begin.

For Additional Information:

Contact Benjamin Cossel, Public Affairs Officer at: Benjamin.cossel@usda.gov