Vegetation Management Program:
The project is aimed at creating a Community Fuels Treatment Network and enhancing Wildland fire safety through numerous Vegetation Management Units throughout the district. The work will provide a break between the continuous decadent stands of chaparral fuel outside the City boundary and in the many canyons/open spaces. This provides a strategic last line of defense for fire protection resources to suppress a wildland fire before it enters more highly populated areas of the City.          

This year’s project involves reducing the amount of flammable vegetation on over 30 acres of land by approximately 1/3 to 2/3. Vegetation management will be targeted on the removal of flammable vegetation (brush and under story) by preferentially removing exotic plants, thinning, pruning and limbing of vegetation to remove fire ladders, limbing up of oak over story, pruning out dead material, and thinning out continuous areas of brush using a mosaic pattern.

            

We are in the final stages of completing our current project which is located at the upper end of the City limit in the extreme foothill zone of the high fire hazard area. (Pictured above) The project area encompasses over 20 acres of oak woodland/chaparral and stretches from Jesusita Lane to Northridge Road in cooperation with private property owners.

We are in process of outlining next year’s project areas which are slated for portions of Las Canoas Road, Hillcrest Road, Mountain Drive and Eucalyptus Hill. Work will begin in those areas late summer/early fall.

Previous Projects:
Saint Mary’s Seminary: A large portion of the initial project was within the Tea Fire burn area. Before the fire, crews successfully completed approximately 1.5 of the 20 acre project. Their project boundary was modified to include the 5.5 acres that was unburned in the fire.

Skofield Park/Van’s Meadow: Brush clearance was completed in the Van’s Meadow area of Skofield Park, off Las Canoas, during the first week of February. Cal Fire hand crews, along with a contracted chipping company, successfully cleared over 5 acres and removed 14 exotic trees.
The map below highlights Vegetation Management in the WFSAD.
Areas in Red have been completed through the WFSAD. (FY 2007-10)

For a PDF version of this map please CLICK HERE.