Stanislaus National Forest OKs plan to further reduce wildfire risk. What it would do

Since 2022, the Stanislaus National Forest has been reducing fuels on about half of its fire-prone acreage, thanks mainly to a $55 million federal grant.

The forest now has approval for a detailed proposal to treat the other half. Both plans call for selective logging, prescribed fire and other methods in the overly dense trees and brush.

Forest Supervisor Jason Kuiken signed off on the new plan on July 31. In a news release, he said it “will allow us to increase and expand the pace and scale of our work to foster resilient forests while reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires to our communities.”

The new plan will require major funding, but the amount was not available Monday. None had been set aside when the draft was released for public comment in December.

The plans have support from a coalition of environmental, timber industry, tribal and local government leaders. They agree that the forest has become too crowded over the past 125 or so years. That happened in part because of a policy of suppressing every fire, even gentle ones that keep the forest floor clear. The decline in logging since the 1990s also played a role.

The result was disasters such as the Rim Fire in 2013. It spread across about 257,000 acres of the national forest, private timberland and Yosemite National Park. That spurred the efforts of the coalition, which is called Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions.

Valley residents rely on Sierra forests

The work could protect recreation spots enjoyed by people from the San Joaquin Valley and beyond. The forest also is part of the watershed for that region’s cities and farms. Research suggests a modest boost in runoff if fewer trees are sucking up the moisture, UC Merced reported.

Environmentalists had long opposed logging because it took too many large trees. That eased after Sierra Pacific Industries , owner of most of the private timber, retrofitted its two sawmills in Tuolumne County for smaller logs.

Prescribed fire is done from fall to spring when the risk of escapes is low. Me-Wuk people did it for millennia to aid hunting and plant production. Today’s tribal leaders are part of the coalition.

The first plan involves efforts through 2030 to safeguard about 245,000 acres in the Stanislaus River watershed. Not every acre will get thinning or prescribed burning. Instead, the crews will create a mosaic that slows wildfires when they happen.

Second phase could take until 2037

The new plan is for about 260,000 acres, mostly in the Tuolumne River watershed but also covering land near Highway 4. The projects would run from 2025 to 2037 if the funding comes through.

Logging would be done on 24,456 acres. This includes especially small trees that go to wood-burning power plants and other non-lumber uses. Prescribed fire is planned for 117,973 acres. Some of it would be repeat treatments to maintain the open landscape. Another 13,682 acres would get “mastication,” where brush and small trees are shredded on site.

About 1 million acres lie within the national forest boundary, including pockets of private land. The plans seek to reduce fuel on about 505,000 acres. They do not involve wilderness areas, which have sparse timber, or some of the land recovering from past destructive fires.

The Tuolumne River Trust is a coalition member, concerned about this watershed and nearby land. Executive Director Patrick Koepele praised the draft plan when it was released.

“This work has been incredibly important for the health of the watershed and the protection of the community,” he told The Modesto Bee by email.

The Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center , based in Twain Harte, also has been involved.

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