HFQLG
Project Evaluation Form
Project Name: Grays Peak Defensible Fuel Profile Zone
Project Type: Mastication for Fuels Reduction
Also included in these notes are discussions from a pre-treatment review of the:
Dry Hills Forest Restoration Project
Forest: Lassen Ranger District: Almanor Ranger District
Date: Oct 7, 2010
Attendance: 28 People
Agency- none
Public- Alan Kalman, Beverly Hills Resident; Bob Cords, Manton Fire Safe Council; Ryan Burnett, PRBO
Conservation Science; John Forno, Sierra Pacific Industries; Frank Stewart, Counties Forester and Quincy Library
Group; Arnold Selk, Lake Almanor Citizen; and Don Brown, Lake Almanor Citizen.
USFS- Al Vazquez, Almanor District Ranger; Laura Corral, District Silviculturist; Blair Halbrooks, District NEPA
Coordinator; David Haupt, Culturist; Ryan Foote, District Fisheries Biologist; Kaley Phillips, Wildlife Biologist; Coye
Burnett, Ecologist; David Oliver, Culturist; Sherry Mitchell-Bruker, Forest Watershed Program Manager; David Pilz,
Lassen NF Planner; Dave Wood, HFQLG Implementation Team Leader; Colin Dillingham, HFQLG Monitoring Team
Leader; Patrick Doyle, District Fuels Officer; Mike Holmes, Forest Fuels Officer; Lorene Guffey, Forest Fire
Management Officer; Steve Millert, Deputy Forest Fire Management Officer; Kurt Sable, District Hydrologist; Tom
Frolli, Forest Fish, Botany and Wildlife Program Manager; Wade McMaster, Tribal Liaison for Plumas and Lassen
NF; Tuija Suihkonen, GIS Intern with HFQLG Implementation Team; and Jeff Watson, Management Analyst with
HFQLG Implementation Team.
Grays Peak DFPZ mastication completed by: 12/1/2011 (projected)
Date completed: ongoing
Type of treatment and acres:
Grays Peak DFPZ Project, Decision Notice signed September 2, 2008.
Construct 608 acres of Defensible Fuel Profile Zone (DFPZ). The Grays Peak DFPZ project was split into two timber
sales, and two service contracts. Only the mastication work has been completed and was the only portion of the DFPZ
reviewed during the field trip.
Grays Peak DFPZ project monitoring review
Resource
Attribute
Objective
Area
Reduce competition
Improve
of retained trees, thin
Silviculture
Forest Health trees to 16 X 16 foot
spacing
Remove ladder fuels
to prevent crown fire
Fuels
Ladder Fuels
initiation and
sustained crown fire.
Source of
Objective
Degree
Met
EA and
Silviculture
prescription
Yes
The thinning project
reduced competition and
should increase vigor of
remaining trees
HFQLG FEIS,
Appendix J
Yes
Mastication prescription
removed ladder fuels, but
added to surface fuels.
Rearrange fuels to
attain less than 4 foot
flame length
HFQLG FEIS,
Appendix J
Yes
USFS
Memorandum
of
Understanding
with USWS
No
Fuels
Surface Fuels
Wildlife
Shrub
dependant
wildlife
species
Prevent direct loss of
nesting birds
Wildlife
Shrub
dependant
wildlife
species
Maintain high
productivity in shrub
habitats
Comments
EA
Yes
Mastication treatment of
brush and trees slows rate
of fire spread and reduces
flame length.
Mastication treatment
occurred during songbird
nesting season, causing
direct loss of nestlings and
eggs.
Mastication treatment
expected to regenerate old,
less productive shrub field.
Grays Peak DFPZ Project – unit 115 of
Grays Peak DFPZ with mastication treatment.
Though not visible in this picture, there was
approximately one acre of brush left within the
mastication unit to contribute to wildlife habitat
needs.
Grays Peak DFPZ Project – David Oliver, district
culturist, explains purpose of mastication
treatment. Within this larger mastication unit (unit
102), patches totaling approximately five acres of
brush were left to contribute to wildlife habitat
needs.
Grays Peak DFPZ Project –
At the second stop of the mastication
treatment, the surface fuels were deeper due
to heavier brush and tree component that
were masticated to create the DFPZ.
Dry Hills Forest Restoration Project (Proposed)
Dry Hills Forest Restoration Project –
Patrick Doyle (far left) explains the expected
effectiveness of a completed DFPZ in the
project area.
Dry Hills Forest Restoration Project –
Patrick Doyle (far left) Laura Corral and
Kaley Phillips discuss the objectives of the
proposed Dry Hills Forest Restoration
Project and some of the actions intended to
meet the needs of the project area.
Dry Hills Forest Restoration Project –
The Defensible Fuel Profile Zone has
incorporated new ideas such as retaining
clumps of trees for wildlife and increasing
variable spacing of reserved trees. These
proposed treatments are intended to meet
fuels and firefighter safety objectives for
DFPZs while implementing actions that
also address forest health and wildlife
needs.
Dry Hills Forest Restoration Project –
Ryan Foote (yellow hardhat) discusses
proposed riparian treatments to improve
resiliency of riparian areas within the
Defensible Fuel Profile Zone network.
Dry Hills Forest Restoration Project –
Kurt Sable (yellow hardhat) discusses
existing condition of Dry Lake and how
historic channels cut into the area drain it
earlier in the season than it should naturally
drain. No specific proposal has been
developed, but the district is trying to
determine the best method to retain water in
the system later into the summer season.
Follow up actions:
Implement Grays Peak project and monitor results.
Finish planning Dry Hills Forest Restoration project.
Notes prepared by HFQLG Monitoring Team Leader: /s/
Reviewed by District Ranger:
Colin Dillingham
__/s/ Alfred G. Vazquez
Date: 10/7/2010
Date: 10/29/2010