Sonoma County Fuels Management Reduction Project Area

The Sonoma County Fuels Management Reduction Project Area (Project Area) dataset represents identified unincorporated (non-incorporated/city lands) geographical areas within the County of Sonoma, California, identifying lands subject to higher wildfire risk. Wildfire risk was determined by a myriad of ranking input factors such as latter fuels, population density, fire history & road (public/private/fire) access/speed/ownership.

There are four Projects Areas:

• Area 1 - East Sonoma County - Mark West Creek to Sonoma

• Area 2 - Big Sulphur Creek Watershed - NE Geyserville

• Area 3 - Lower Russian River - Cazadero

• Area 4 - Austin Creek and Dry Creek Headwaters

The dataset was created to support Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Project Subapplication - Disaster No. DR 4407 | Jurisdiction Name: County of Sonoma Permit & Resource Management Department - Fire Prevention Division | Project Title: Sonoma County Fuels Managment Project | Project No. 0335.

Scope of Work | Introduction

The goal of the phased Sonoma County Fuels Reduction Project (Project) is to protect the lives and property of Sonoma County residents while improving forest health and wildfire resilience in the county’s forested areas. Based on the devastating impacts of the 2017 Sonoma Complex Fires, it is clear that the buildup of flammable vegetative material (“fuel loading”) in the county’s wildlands combined with severe weather events can result in fires that move rapidly from wildlands and Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) areas into urban centers. As such, urban areas such as Santa Rosa (population 167,815), Healdsburg (population 11,827), Cloverdale (8,801), Windsor (27,555), and Sonoma (population 10,648) are at risk from a large-scale wildfire. Countywide, approximately 165,000 residents live in the WUI.

As Sonoma County recovers from the fires, residents and policymakers are working hard to plan mitigation activities that will not only advance the recovery and improve the resiliency of the communities damaged in the 2017 Sonoma fires, but also reduce risk to other vulnerable communities. The Project will work synergistically with existing and continuing efforts on publicly owned and management lands in Sonoma County to lower the risk of future catastrophic wildfire by managing vegetation to modify or reduce hazardous fuels. Benefits from fuel treatments include: prevention of loss of life, reduction of fire suppression cost, reduction of the loss or critical infrastructure, reduction of private property losses, and protection of natural resources from devastating wildfire.

The Sonoma County Fuels Reduction Project aims to reduce the county’s wildfire risk by removing hazardous fuels on private parcels and road systems in the county. The project will use four key selection criteria to identify areas for this initial phase of fuels reduction activities: 1) burn history of fires exceeding 5,000 acres in size, 2) excessive ladder fuel loads, 3) high population density, and 4) road network capacity limitations. Project activity areas, described in detail below, will be the target for public outreach, education, and participation in the program.

On habitable parcels, property owners will be responsible for maintenance of defensible space within 100 feet of structures. This will be considered a prerequisite for additional support. The primary focus of the Project is to remove excess fuels in the zone between 100 and 300 feet from a structure using a variety of non-ground disturbing treatment approaches such as targeted grazing and hand removal of hazardous vegetative materials. However, if inspections note a significant amount of dead and dying vegetation within the 100-foot defensible space radius, project funds can also be used to fund removals within this most critical zone. Selective removal of hazardous trees and vegetation requiring more invasive methods will be pursued were necessary and as environmental clearances apply.

Subapplication Additional Supporting Document - Legislative Support/Further Understanding of Scope Impact

Based on the impacts of recent California wildfires, it is clear that the buildup of flammable vegetative material in wildlands combined with severe weather events can result in devastating wildfires that can move rapidly into urban areas placing both urban & wildland area residents at risk. In an effort to mitigate wildfire risk, Sonoma County is working to improve forest health & wildfire resilience in the county's forested areas through the Sonoma County Fuels Reduction Project.

In Sonoma County, 68% of forestland is privately owned. Landowners of smaller parcels lack economy of scale, & struggle to manage their lands effectively due to the high costs of regulatory compliance & physical management. The Fuels Management Project will use existing regional data sets to identify & implement hazardous fuels reduction within two miles of homes & communities to protect lives as property, as well as improve the fire resiliency of local wildland areas. It is imperative to the safety of our communities that we work to focus available resources to reduce the risk of future wildfires.