Los Padres National Forest (LPNF) officials have released the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project (WRRP) on the forest’s Santa Barbara, Monterey, Mt. Pinos and Santa Lucia Ranger Districts.

The draft EA evaluates the environmental effects of this proposed fuels reduction and forest health project.

Los Padres Forest is proposing a series of vegetation treatments on some 90,796 acres of National Forest Service lands administered by the LPNF within Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Kern and Monterey counties.

Treatments will include mechanical thinning; hand thinning; chipping and grinding; piling and burning; mastication; mowing and weed-whipping; prescribed fire; targeted grazing; and planting and seeding, which may limit public access while work is being done.

The LPNF anticipates up to 10,000 acres of treatments on average would be implemented annually over multiple years.

The purpose for the WRRP is to increase community protection and enhance wildfire suppression opportunities by establishing fuel breaks and defense zones while improving conditions for vegetation resilience and protecting the health of forested areas from environmental stressors.

The draft EA, supporting analysis, and other information is available for review online at the project website.

The LPNF will host four informational meetings prior to the 30-day public comment period. The meetings will be held in Santa Maria on April 21, Big Sur, April 23, and Frazier Park, April 24 with a virtual meeting on April 22.

The Forest Service will accept comments on this proposal prior to the 30-day public comment period (projected May 2-June 2) following publication of the legal notice.

Comments will be accepted electronically through the project website and can also be mailed to the LPNF Supervisor’s Office, Att: Kyle Kinports, 1980 Old Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93464, or hand-delivered to that address.

Direct questions concerning the proposal to Kinports, 805-961-5710.