The Lassen National Forest begins a 30-day scoping period now through December 2, 2024, for the West Lassen Headwaters Landscape Restoration Project.
“On this project, we are proposing management activities to improve forest resilience, watershed health, and vital community protection across 101,471 acres of National Forest System lands, and is a collaboration between the Lassen National Forest, the Lassen Volcanic National Park, Sierra Institute for Community and Environment, and the South Lassen Watersheds Group,” explains LNF Public Information Officer Amber Marshall.
“The West Lassen Headwaters Landscape Restoration Project would achieve restoration on the landscape through forest health treatments (e.g., thinning, fuels reduction), meadow restoration, prescribed fire, wildfire response preparation, and related restoration actions on public lands, and would also include targeted actions to benefit anadromous and other native fish species, including restoring riparian habitat and addressing fish passage and post-fire sedimentation issues.”
Additionally, to prepare for planned and unplanned ignitions, a network of fire management features made up of maintained roads, dozer lines, trails, and helispots would be maintained across the landscape.
In areas of high tree mortality such as the area affected by the Dixie and Park Fires, contiguous high-severity patches greater than one hundred acres would be reforested by cutting and removing dead trees, planting new trees, and controlling competing vegetation, including using herbicides.
The proposed project encompasses the headwaters of Antelope, Deer, Battle, and Mill Creek, and the communities of Mineral, Mill Creek, Childs Meadows. Due to the critical and time-sensitive nature of some elements in the proposed action, the Lassen National Forest has sought and received authorization to use the Western Firesheds Emergency Action Declaration from the Chief of the Forest Service.
This Emergency Action was authorized for use within the wildland urban interface surrounding the communities of Mineral and Mill Creek, to reduce fuels and the imminent threat to these communities and infrastructure from severe wildfires.
“We understand that expediting implementation reduces opportunities for formal public involvement on select actions prior to a final decision and needed to weigh this carefully with the urgency to implement the highest priority fuels reduction and community protection actions” said Russel Nickerson, Almanor District Ranger.
“This proposed action was supported by, and co-developed with, the South Lassen Watersheds Group participants and the Mineral and Mill Creek Firewise Committees.”
The public is invited to a virtual only meeting 5:30 to 6:30 pm on Thursday, November 14th, 2024, to learn more about the project. For details and link to the meeting, please visit the West Lassen Headwaters project website.
Please submit written comments by Monday, December 2, 2024. Electronic comments may be submitted through the project specific electronic comment form at: [email protected] with the subject line of West Lassen Headwaters Project.
Hard copy comments may be:
• Mailed to Attention: Russell Nickerson, District Ranger, Almanor Ranger District, P.O. Box 767, Chester, CA 96020.
• Hand delivered weekdays (except holidays) between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday to the Almanor Ranger District, 900 E. Highway 36, Chester, CA.
• Faxed to (530) 258- 5194, with the subject line of West Lassen Headwaters Project.
A decision regarding this proposal is expected in September 2025. For more information on the project, please contact Laura Corral, Project Lead, at (530) 258-5156, or by email at [email protected].
