USFS South Fork Sacramento Public Safety and Forest Restoration Project Update

View of Castle Lake with Mount Shasta & Black Butte in the background

Update provided by Nick Joslin, Forest & Watershed Watch Project Manager

I have attended 3 field trips to help develop ideas and voice concerns for the Forest Service’s South Fork of the Sacramento project. For each trip, we caravanned to multiple stops in the project area to discuss the options for issues that the project aims to address.

The project area is quite large and covers many of our communities’ favorite areas to recreate. Castle Lake, Twin Arrows, the roads that lead off from the South Fork road, all the way up to Gumboot lake and the wetlands near the lake are points where the participants have been asked to voice suggestions and concerns.

One of the main objectives is public safety. As we have seen over the last several summers, forest fires present a large threat to our safety while we are out enjoying nature. Areas that have one road in, one road out, are of particular concern. Castle Lake road is a perfect example of this. Were a fire to start while the Castle Lake parking lot was full, there would be serious issues with a quick evacuation. During another fire evacuation on a different forest, members of the public had to be evacuated by National Guard helicopters.

Recognizing this risk and also recognizing that our beloved areas are seeing increasing numbers of visitors every year, this project aims to develop Fire Management Zones, or FMZ’s, to reduce the numbers of trees and fuels that line the road to Castle Lake.

A Fire Management Zone provides direction for the development and execution of long- and short-range goals, policies and standardized procedures within a treatment area. These zones are not simply one size fits all or a single method to treat large areas. Each ecosystem at differing elevations get individual considerations for how the zone will be treated. A conifer forest along Castle Lake road will be treated differently than a high elevation meadow or an Oak-conifer woodland.

This project has been shared with the public very early in the developmental process and our Mount Shasta Ranger District has been welcoming input so they can incorporate everyone’s thoughts and concerns. I have seen the careful considerations that are being heard and I know that Carolyn Napper and the rest of team are inviting everyone to chime in early. Using these early comments and the developmental skills of her entire staff of professionals, the district hopes to have a draft proposal ready for release sometime this fall.

Comments are still being taken and more information is available by clicking here.

Once the draft is released, the public will have even more opportunity to comment. MSBEC is recommending that if you have any concerns, to spend a little time understanding the goals of the project so you can be well informed about issues.