The California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP) Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) adopted by the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (Board) evaluates the potential environmental effects of implementing qualifying vegetation treatments that reduce the risk of wildfire throughout the State Responsibility Area and adjacent portions of the Local Responsibility Area in California. It was designed for use by many State, special district, and local agencies to accelerate vegetation treatment project approvals by finding them to be within the scope of the PEIR. This finding that the proposed treatments are within the scope of the PEIR must be supported by a Project Specific Analysis (PSA). An Addendum to the Program EIR is another tool designed to address those project components that are not within the scope of the Program EIR but have similar environmental effects. The McKinleyville Vegetation Treatment Project PSA/Addendum comprises the joint implementation of these CEQA tools in a single document.
The McKinleyville Vegetation Treatment Project consists of vegetation treatments for wildfire risk reduction and forest health improvement on approximately 3,641 acres, encompassing 3,043 acres of land owned by Green Diamond Resource Company (Green Diamond) and approximately 598 acres of land owned by the McKinleyville Community Services District (MCSD) in western Humboldt County, between McKinleyville and Fieldbrook. The proposed treatment types (i.e., shaded fuel breaks and wildland-urban interface [WUI] fuel reduction) and the treatment activities (i.e., mechanical vegetation treatment, manual vegetation treatment, prescribed burning, and targeted herbicide application) are consistent with those evaluated in the CalVTP Program EIR. Maintenance treatments are included as part of the project and would involve the same vegetation treatment types and activities used in the initial treatments.
The McKinleyville Vegetation Treatment Project PSA/Addendum is being prepared for the Humboldt County Resource Conservation District (HCRCD) to comply with CEQA in the implementation of vegetation treatments that require a discretionary action by a public agency. HCRCD is the CEQA lead agency, and Green Diamond is partnering with the HCRCD to implement the project on Green Diamond land. MCSD is a CEQA responsible agency for authorization of project implementation on land owned by MCSD within the McKinleyville Community Forest. HCRCD would also support Green Diamond and MCSD in the pursuit of grant funding and administration of funds received through the HCRCD to implement the proposed treatments.
The HCRCD Board of Directors may acted to approve the Project Specific Analysis and Addendum to California Vegetation Management Program PEIR for the McKinleyville Vegetation Treatment Project and establish a partnership between the District, McKinleyville Community Service District, and Green Diamond Resource Company for cooperatively implementing the Project at the Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors on January 9, 2024.
Attachments
McKinleyville Vegetation Treatment Project PSA/Addendum
McKinleyville CEQA Findings and Statement of Overriding Considerations