Cedar Ridge Fuels Reduction Project
Through the Master Stewardship Agreement (MSA), Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions, Tuolumne River Trust, Tuolumne County, and the USFS have begun a project to reduce fire hazards for the communities of Cedar Ridge and portions of Big Hill. This area has been identified as a priority via a collaborative process led by Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions. This project uses fuel reductions and fuel breaks on USFS land to reduce the risk of wildfire affecting these communities.
The Cedar Ridge project area is adjacent to the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI).
The project aims to treat 2,300 acres for fuel reduction using a variety of treatment methods including mechanical mastication, hand thinning, piling, and preparation for prescribed burns.
Current contractors working on the project are High Sierra Timber Management (local) and Summitt Forests, Inc.
The expected completion date of the work is October 31, 2022.
Fire Hazard in Cedar Ridge
Using fire modeling software, ArcFuels and FlamMap, we created a map that depicts fire hazard potential near Cedar Ridge and the surrounding communities. This map combines the likelihood of a fire occurring (burn probability), the intensity (flame length) of that fire, and the hazard these factors would pose to different zoning conditions. For example, residential areas were deemed to be more sensitive to fire than to recreational land.
The darker the red tones, the greater the predicted fire hazard. Note the high potential for intense fire along the ridges north of Cedar Ridge, near where the forest meets residential areas.
Monitoring Progress
We have been keeping track of progress on the Cedar Ridge Project using Field Maps. The red and green arrows depict before and after image points and the slightly darker shaded area is the current progress of the treatment.
Here are some before and after treatment photos taken in the mastication units near Sierra Outdoor School.
Before and After
Before and after
Before and after
Before and after
We have also been tracking progress in number of acres completed over time...
Another before and after image of mastication work.
