The map highlights the areas around Rancho Murieta where contractors will begin fire fuel reduction efforts as early as Nov. 1. The work, funded by a $4.4 million CAL FIRE grant, aims to protect the community from wind-driven wildfires. Courtesy photo

RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - Delayed for more than two years, the Consumes Ladder Fuel Project in and around Rancho Murieta is now expected to begin as soon as Nov. 1.

Funded by a $4.4 million California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) grant, the project aims to treat 937 acres through a range of fuel reduction methods, including thinning and pruning trees, as well as removing ground fuels like downed trees. The goal is to safeguard Rancho Murieta from potential wind-driven wildfires.

Phyllis Banducci, the registered forester contracted to supervise the on-the-ground activities, said she hopes that the three contractors hired by Sacramento County can start work in November or December, depending on weather conditions. “If it rains, then Nov. 1 would be the earliest date that we could start,” she said.

Residents walking the trails around the lakes may already notice pink, blue, and white flagging. This flagging indicates areas designated for treatment or protection. The trails will be posted and closed when contractors are working nearby.

Most of the fuel treatment will take place outside the nesting bird season, which typically runs from February through August. All work must be completed before Feb. 2026, according to Banducci.

Of the 937 acres of woodlands slated for mitigation, 40% is within Rancho Murieta, 33% is on ranch land west of Scott Road, and 27% is within the Deer Creek Hills Preserve.

The Rancho Murieta Regional Fire Safe Council initially put together the CAL FIRE grant application but couldn’t submit it due to its lack of nonprofit status. Sacramento County Supervisor Sue Frost helped the council secure an agreement with Sacramento County Regional Parks to sponsor and administer the grant. CAL FIRE awarded the grant to county parks in July 2022, and county parks employee Veronica Thorley has been administering it since then.

Speaking at a Rancho Murieta community meeting last year, Thorley stated that the goal is to reduce ladder fuels on local lands so that regular maintenance can protect the community and promote healthy oak woodlands. She estimated that the project will protect over 5,000 people and structures valued at $1.2 billion.

Thorley explained that planning activities for the project began in January 2023. To comply with the California Environmental Quality Act, the project was analyzed under the California Vegetation Treatment Program, an extensive Environmental Impact Report developed by CAL FIRE to streamline environmental compliance and address California’s wildfire crisis.

Sacramento County Parks also contracted with Ascent Environmental to provide a specific analysis and addendum for the local project. Thorley noted that the consulting firm worked closely with Sacramento County, the contracted registered foresters, and the Sacramento Valley Conservancy to ensure that environmental impacts were minimized or avoided.

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors approved the project on Sept. 26, 2023.

Thorley had initially hoped to begin groundwork in January of this year, but the project faced delays when county parks had to reject the initial contracting bids because they came in too high. After receiving legal advice that allowed for the removal of a prevailing wage requirement, county parks issued a revised request for bids.

Banducci stated that county parks hired three contractors through this process, and she expects their contracts to be finalized by mid-October.

Rancho Murieta resident Phyllis Banducci, a registered forester, is overseeing the project. She also developed the fuel treatment prescriptions for the units shown on the map. Courtesy photo

Banducci, who is retired from CAL FIRE, is affiliated with TUV SUD Forestry Services, the forestry consulting firm working with county parks on this project. She provided an overview of the fuel reduction prescriptions she developed:

“When we say ladder fuel removal, the intent is to raise the canopies of the trees and to separate them from the ground fuels: grasses and brush,” she explained. “The intent is when the fire starts and gets going, you want to keep it on the ground.”

According to Banducci, these fuel treatments make fires easier to extinguish and reduce the risk of embers, which in a wind-driven fire can start new fires miles away.

“The biggest risk to the community is the fires that start outside and move inside,” she said.

While the grant does not include funding for understory burning, the environmental document was written to allow for potential training burns conducted by CAL FIRE, especially with firefighters soon to be stationed at the Boys Ranch.

Contractors will remove trees smaller than six inches in diameter and prune larger trees up to six feet.

“The most important treatment will be taking care of a lot of trees that went down in the 2023 storm,” Banducci noted.

Referring to the accompanying map, Banducci said she has created a detailed prescription page for each unit, specifying the number of acres, the required fuel treatment and the necessary equipment, ranging from chainsaws to masticator tractors. The trails and boundaries for each unit are also clearly marked.

She emphasized that special treatment zones will involve 100% fuel reduction along all property lines and public roads, including Scott and Latrobe Roads and a short section of the parkway.

In addition to fuel reduction, the grant is funding herbicide treatment in the Deer Creek Hills Preserve. Five types of invasive weeds that are harmful to livestock have been targeted. The Sacramento Valley Conservancy is also planting 500 trees to help regenerate Blue Oaks in the preserve.