Los Padres National Forest officials have completed the environmental review of the Reyes Peak Forest Health and Fuels Reduction project. Ojai and Mt. Pinos District Ranger Karina Medina signed the Decision Memo on Sept. 30.

The Reyes Peak project addresses the impact of widespread tree mortality due to overstocking, drought and the devastating effects of insect and disease infestation across 755 acres that extend along Pine Mountain between state Highway 33 and Reyes Peak in Ventura County.

The project is within a federally designated Insect and Disease Treatment Area where declining forest health places the area at risk to substantial tree mortality over the next 15 years.

The project will improve forest health by removing small diameter and dead trees from densely packed stands and using prescribed burning to reduce the understory biomass. The treatment of these areas will reduce unhealthy competition, enhance the survivability of the remaining trees, and increase the overall stand diameter.

Trees between the 24 inches and 64 inches diameter would be retained unless they are dead or dying.

A combination of mechanical treatments, mastication of brush and smaller trees, and hand treatments will be used to reduce the stocking in selected stands and to change the structure of live and dead material in treated stands. Project design features applied during implementation will ensure endangered and sensitive species are not imperiled by the project.

For more information, contact project leader Greg Thompson, 661-245-7236 or @gregory.thompson@usda.gov, or visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=58012.