Mattole and Salmon Creek Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Project
Project Overview
Basics
Mattole and Salmon Creek Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Project
Implementation
This project will enhance forest health in southern Humboldt County’s Mattole and Salmon Creek watersheds. It includes: (1) a shaded fuel break and suite of additional treatments along Apple Tree Ridge and Humboldt Redwood Company property surrounding Petrolia; (2) shaded fuel break treatments on Chapman Ranch; (3) support with compliance requirements for a complementary fuel break on State Parks land; and (4) support for community planning and project development in the Salmon Creek Watershed.
2021
2022
2026
2/20/2025
Project Attributes
Census Tract Income
True
Direct Benefits to Disadvantaged Communities (DACs)
Community concerns related to degraded forest health and wildfire risk in southern Humboldt County were raised, and the critical need for strategic landscape-scale forest health and fuels reduction projects was identified. The need for coordinated community planning and project development efforts was also identified.
EnviroScreen
None
Free and Reduced Lunch
None
Indirect Benefits to Disadvantaged Communities (DACs)
The project will benefit low-income populations in the communities of Petrolia and Myers Flat as well as other low-income residents in the Mattole and Salmon Creek watersheds by expanding and connecting to the region’s existing network of landscape-scale fuels reduction projects and mitigating wildfire risk. This project is also expected to support a total of 76.4 jobs, which will benefit this low-income area economically. The quality of life that residents of this rural area will enjoy will also be enhanced by the improved safety and air quality that result from healthier forests.
Tribal Engagement (True/False)
None
Tribal Engagement
None
Location
Organizations
| Funder | |
| Lead Implementer | |
| Partners | |
| Primary RCD | |
| Other Partners | Mattole Restoration Council, Trees Foundation, Humboldt Redwood Company, Private Landowners |
Contacts
Katrina Henderson - Humboldt County Resource Conservation District (Humboldt County RCD) (katrina@hcrcd.org)
Performance Measures
Expected Performance Measures
| Biomass Utilization | Property Ownership: Private Type of Utilization: Timber Product | 1,391 tons |
| Fuels Reduction | CAL FIRE UNIT: Humboldt Del Norte Project Objective: Forest Resiliency Property Ownership: Private Treatment Type: Hand Thinning | 20 acres |
| Fuels Reduction | CAL FIRE UNIT: Humboldt Del Norte Project Objective: Shaded Fuelbreak Property Ownership: Private Treatment Type: Prescribed Burn | 70 acres |
| Fuels Reduction | CAL FIRE UNIT: Humboldt Del Norte Project Objective: Shaded Fuelbreak Property Ownership: Private Treatment Type: Mechanical Thinning | 399 acres |
| Fuels Reduction | CAL FIRE UNIT: Humboldt Del Norte Project Objective: Shaded Fuelbreak Property Ownership: Private Treatment Type: Hand Thinning | 429 acres |
| Large Woody Debris (LWD) | 400 | |
| Reforestation | Property Ownership: Private | 37 acres |
Reported Performance Measures
| Biomass Utilization | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property Ownership | Type of Utilization | Total | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Units |
| Private | Timber Product | 1,391 | 0 | 0 | 1,391 | 0 | tons |
| Total | 1,391 | 0 | 0 | 1,391 | 0 | tons | |
| Fuels Reduction | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAL FIRE UNIT | Project Objective | Property Ownership | Treatment Type | Total | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Units |
| Humboldt Del Norte | Shaded Fuelbreak | Private | Hand Thinning | 353 | 0 | 204 | 113 | 36 | acres |
| Humboldt Del Norte | Shaded Fuelbreak | Private | Mechanical Thinning | 234 | 0 | 88 | 146 | 0 | acres |
| Humboldt Del Norte | Shaded Fuelbreak | Private | Prescribed Burn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | acres |
| Humboldt Del Norte | Forest Resiliency | Private | Hand Thinning | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | acres |
| Total | 607 | 20 | 292 | 259 | 36 | acres | |||
| Large Woody Debris (LWD) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Units | |
| 400 | 0 | 400 | 0 | 0 | number | |
| Total | 400 | 0 | 400 | 0 | 0 | number |
| Reforestation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property Ownership | Total | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Units |
| Private | 37 | 4 | 33 | 0 | 0 | acres |
| Total | 37 | 4 | 33 | 0 | 0 | acres |
Financials
Budget
| Comment: | None provided |
|---|
Reported Expenditures
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Climate Investments (CCI) Forest Health Grant Program (Cal Fire) | $0.00 | $374,107.31 | $1,485,610.50 | $1,670,913.99 | $0.00 | $3,530,631.80 |
| Grand Total | $0.00 | $374,107.31 | $1,485,610.50 | $1,670,913.99 | $0.00 | $3,530,631.80 |
| Note: | None provided |
|---|
Project Themes
Project Themes
The serpentine areas on the Chapman Ranch and Elk Ridge are considered climate refugia because the soils support a high level of endemism for native plants. The treatment areas are in the vicinity of unique stands of incense cedar and Jeffrey pine. Both stands represent the westernmost stands of these species’ range. The forest health treatments listed in the Work Plan will minimize the potential for catastrophic, stand-replacing fires in the project area.
Project treatment areas along Apple Tree Ridge and on Humboldt Redwood Company land overlap considerably with this high-priority landscape. The fuel break and forest restoration work that will be completed in the landscape surrounding the town of Petrolia coincides with 3-level priority areas. The thinning work that will be completed on Chapman Ranch is in a 4-level priority area.
Project Details
Attachments
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Notes
No Notes entered.