Dear Interested Party,
The Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest is conducting scoping for four shaded fuel break projects that would reduce hazardous fuels along strategic linear features such as roads and trails along ridgelines or key access routes. These projects would provide and maintain shaded fuel breaks, allowing firefighters to safely engage with wildfires and provide a safer ingress and egress for the public. Currently, Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District plans on utilizing Categorical Exclusion Authority Fuel Breaks, Public Law No. 117-58, section 40806, for fuels reduction work.
The fuel breaks will be located to prioritize community and firefighter protection. Fire history, fuel loading, and past suppression lines were assessed by fire and fuel specialists, and potential fuel breaks were evaluated. Our fire and fuel specialists determined four locations where treatment would strategically help fire management to reduce threats to human life and property and therefore are priority areas to treat.
The two shaded fuel breaks planned for the headwaters of the Applegate River Watershed are Elliott Ridge (approximately 1,950 acres), and Grayback Trail (approximately 1,050 acres). The northern portion of the Grayback Trail extends into the Upper Applegate River and Middle Applegate River watersheds. Fuel reduction treatments would extend up to 500 feet on each side of the road or trail. Both fuel breaks in this watershed cross riparian reserves; treatments will be considered in these areas when the fuel reduction treatments would reduce the risk of wildfires traveling across the landscape. At this time, the Elliott Ridge location is prioritized for analysis, with treatments anticipated to begin in 2024.
The fuel breaks planned for the Little Applegate River Watershed are Sevenmile Ridge (approximately 940 acres) and Wagner (approximately 350 acres). Up to 500 feet of fuel treatments would be completed on each side of the road or trail. Part of the Sevenmile Ridge fuel break is located in the Siskiyou Crest Special Interest Area and within riparian reserves. The Wagner fuel break is located in the McDonald Ridge and McDonald Peak Special Interest Areas, and in the McDonald Inventoried Roadless Area. Treatments will be considered in these areas when fuel reduction treatments would reduce the risk of wildfires traveling across the landscape. The Wagner fuel break will treat fuels 500ft on the west side of the trail south of the intersection of the Split Rock, Wagner Butte, Wagner Glade, and Horn Gap Trails. The east side of the trail in that section has cliffs and rocky areas that do not require treatment. North of the multiple trail intersection, fuel treatment will extend up to 500 ft on either side of the Wagner fuel break.
Treatments would reduce surface and ladder fuels and protect large residual trees by manually cutting brush, cutting select live trees up to 8-inch diameter at breast height (DBH), and cutting dead trees up to 10-inch DBH. The resulting fuel would be hand piled, and later burned within the project footprint. No commercial timber would be harvested for these projects. In some areas, broadcast burning will be appropriate to maintain and improve the fuel break where fuels are lighter such as recently burned areas, fire suppression lines, or following thinning, piling, and pile burning. Future maintenance work could include lop and scatter treatments and under-burning.
Each fuel break will be analyzed under separate Categorical Exclusion and Decision Memo documents (CE/DM); no more than 3,000 acres would be treated in a given watershed. Decisions will be made as survey work and analysis are completed for each location. To maintain transparency with our community about upcoming projects, we have decided to scope the four shaded fuel break projects in the same letter, since they are similar. All shaded fuel breaks will be acknowledged in each CE/DM document for collective consideration of the projects’ actions and potential impacts.
The Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District is accepting public comments during the projects’ scoping period. Any comments you have are welcomed; including comments in support of the fuel break projects, comments providing information that you feel I may not be aware of, or comments regarding concerns you have with these fuel break projects. Small group field trips or meetings with specialists can be scheduled with District Ranger Jennifer Sanborn (see contact information below). Field trips and meetings will be scheduled based on employee availability and District fire activity. For more maps, including maps showing the Land Management Plan Land Allocations, and information about the projects please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=63141 . Your written comments help the Forest Service to identify environmental issues. Please send your hardcopy comments to Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District, 6941 Upper Applegate Road, Jacksonville, OR 97530 Attention: Jennifer Sanborn. Email your comments to comments-pacificnorthwest-rogueriver-siskiyoumountains@usda.gov OR https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?Project=63141 . Comments will be most helpful if received by September 7, 2023 If you have questions or wish to schedule a field trip regarding this project, you can contact the District Ranger by phone at 541-899-3810.
Jennifer Sanborn
