Public comment period on proposed Eldorado National Forest Roadside Hazard Tree Mitigation Project

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - The USDA Forest Service is seeking public comments on the proposed Eldorado National Forest Roadside Hazard Tree Mitigation Project. This project involves felling and removal of hazard trees for public health and safety within 200 feet of roads in the Placerville, Georgetown, Amador, and Pacific Ranger Districts. Project implementation may start as early as the spring of 2023.

"Public comments are an important part of the planning process," said Forest Supervisor Jeff Marsolais. "We want to be sure we understand how hazard trees could affect different parts of the road system in ways we may not be aware of. "

Hazard trees near roads in the Eldorado National Forest have resulted from large wildfires as well as from insect and disease infestations, periods of drought and other causes. Last year, from August to October 2021, the Caldor Fire, burned large portions of National Forest System (NFS) lands along 909 miles of roads, leaving many dead, dying, and weakened trees.

The primary purpose of the proposed project is to reduce safety hazards that could impact roads. There are approximately 2,461 miles of roads in the project area to be considered, including NFS maintenance level 1 through level 5 roads as well as state, county, local, and private roads through NFS lands. Current regional guidelines for hazard tree identification and mitigation would be used that define the potential failure zone of a tree based on site-specific factors.

A summary of the draft proposed action, maps, and other project information can be found on the project website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=62238.

Comments on the draft proposed action are requested by August 1, 2022 during the initial scoping period. Comments can be sent electronically to: comments-pacificsouthwest-eldorado@usda.gov, or by mail to Susan Durham, Acting Forest Environmental Coordinator, Eldorado National Forest, 100 Forni Road, Placerville, CA 95667.

A virtual public meeting to discuss the project will be held on July 20, 2022 from 2:00 to 3:30 PM. The meeting link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81823441504 . Allow time to download the Zoom application if needed. To join by phone, dial 1-669-444-9171, and enter Meeting ID: 818 2344 1504 #.

If you have questions about the project, please email Susan Durham at susan.durham@usda.gov with subject line “ENF Roadside Hazard Tree Mitigation”.