1. Rancheria Forest Restoration Project USDA Forest Service Kern River Ranger District

2. Rancheria Forest Restoration Project
Sequoia National Forest
Kern River Ranger District
Alta Sierra/Greenhorn Mountains

3. Rancheria Forest Restoration Project
Why is it needed? The purpose and need is to:
Why is
Restore a healthy, diverse forest ecosystem that is resilient to wildfire and other threats and that is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable
Protect people and property from wildfire
Protect and enhance wildlife habitat
Protect from uncharacteristically severe wildfire
Reintroduce a natural fire regime where safe and appropriate
Prepare economical, efficient projects that support local economies

4. Why is Ecological Restoration Needed?
Example of an area of uncharacteristically severe, stand-replacing fire which resulted in thousands of acres of tree mortality in 2002 on the Kern River Ranger District, fragmenting habitat, burning structures, and costing over 59 million dollars for suppression and rehabilitation (McNally Fire)

5. What is Ecological Restoration?
Forest Service Manual (FSM) interim directive 2020 defines Ecological Restoration as: “The process of assisting the recovery of resilience and adaptive capacity of ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Restoration focuses on establishing the composition, structure, pattern, and ecological processes necessary to make terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems sustainable, resilient, and healthy under current and future conditions.” .

6. Rancheria Forest Restoration Project Existing and Desired Conditions
Photo 2- Extreme fuel loading showing the worst conditions in the Greenhorns today: smaller, denser stands dominated by incense cedar and fir
Photo 1-Historic forests dominated by large pines, with openings and dense pockets in the Greenhorn Mountains early 1900’s (note size of vehicle compared to trees)
Courtesy Kern County Museum-used by permission

7. Existing Condition
Second-growth general forests are overstocked with middle-aged trees
Forests are dominated by shade-tolerant white fir (Abies concolor) and incense cedar (Libocedrus decurrens) that are less resilient and have dominated native pine (Pinus sp.) and black oak (Quercus keloggii) historically found in the area
History of fire suppression, longer fire intervals, with potential for larger, hotter fires
Fire Return Interval Departure is extreme
Fire regime condition class is class 3
Greenhorn Plantations are overstocked, showing pockets of mortality
If a wildfire occurred in crowded stands it would be a stand -replacing type of wildfire
Rancheria Road is an escape route which lacks adequate defense lines in a wildfire

8. Desired Condition
Modified fuel conditions would reduce wildfire threat:
The condition of surface fuels would be such that crown fire ignition, if it occurs, will be discontinuous.
Openness and discontinuity of crown fuels with a low probability of sustained crown fire. Surface fuels ranging from 5 to 15 tons per acre with increased effectiveness of fire personnel and equipment to control and manage wildfire.
Reduced risk of wildfire to communities with improved safety of escape along Rancheria Road, and safer access for fire personnel and equipment.
Return of historic fire regime where possible, either through prescribed burning or managed wildfire.
Reduced risk to wildlife habitat with reduced risk of uncharacteristically large, stand-replacing fires.

9. Desired Condition (cont.)
A greater diversity in forest age, density, and stand structure
More closely resemble presettlement conditions, a dominance of large trees with a desired condition of trees per acre.
A mosaic of openings, thickets, small trees and seedlings.
Tree species composition modified to favor oaks and pines over incense cedar and white fir.
Improved wildlife habitat
More suitable habitat for resting, roosting, denning and nesting for sensitive wildlife including the Pacific Fisher, Spotted Owl, and Goshawk.
Large trees surrounded by multiple canopy layers would provide cover while small forest openings would improve foraging.
Dead trees, both standing and fallen, would meet habitat needs .
Habitat is now limited by small size of trees and fragmentation due to previous large-scale fires and can be improved by restoration of late successional conditions.

10. Proposed Action
Vegetative treatments can reduce stand densities and fuel loads while accelerating restoration of old forest conditions. Some examples of prescriptions might include:
Large single or small groups (3 – 5 trees) of pine – Retain the large individual or small group of trees and remove small and intermediate size trees of all species except black oak that are under or mostly under the crowns.
Large snags – The treatment should be to retain the large snag and remove nearby ground and ladder fuels that would likely carry fire into it. Vary snag and log retention levels across the project area .
Pacific fisher rest sites- Protect these sites which often consist of clumps of dense trees with large snags, legacy trees, or large rest structures.
Large single black oaks that are declining in health and vigor – Allow the large black oak to continue to decline by leaving the over-topping conifers and the trees under or mostly under the crown. Such large decadent trees can provide excellent wildlife habitat.
Groups of overstocked conifers should be thinned , giving preference to retaining the diameter classes that stand exam data shows are underrepresented. For example, when the majority of trees in a stand are between inches, some in this size class could be removed to make room for more trees in the larger (23”+)and smaller (16” and under) tree classes. As trees get larger, there are usually fewer per acre.
Prescribed burning would occur when weather and fuel conditions are appropriate.

11. Proposed Action (cont.)
Examples of some special consideration for sensitive wildlife habitats:
California Spotted Owl and Northern Goshawks Protected Activity Centers (PACs)
Irregular thinning of understories followed by prescribed burning; encourage faster development of larger trees surrounding openings and increase levels of snags and down woody debris.
Fisher Conservation Area
Create small gaps in midslope forests, leave snags; prescribed burning ; retain canopy of 40% where existing; elsewhere design treatment to increase canopy; heavier thinning along roads and ridgelines in areas which are of lower value for den/rest sites for spotted owls and fisher and may be of value as reduced fuel zones
Deer
Preserve some screening along roadways to provide cover, which is especially important during hunting season.

12. Rancheria Forest Restoration Project
and surrounding projects
across ownership boundaries

13. Questions/Comments

14. How to get to the Comment Web Form
To comment on the project click on “Comment to project”
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