Placerville, CA… The Eldorado National Forest has begun public scoping for the Trident Forest Restoration Project in the northern portion of the Crystal Basin on the Pacific Ranger District. The Trident Project would address current and anticipated conditions on National Forest System land resulting from the 2020 Fork Fire. The proposed action would treat roughly 644 acres to protect public safety, protect nearby public and private resources, and restore a portion of the forested area burned in the Fork Fire. Proposed activities include commercial timber harvest (fire salvage), hazard tree removal, fuels treatments (including mastication, biomass removal, and piling/burning fuels), conifer planting, herbicide application, and transportation system management actions that include designating an existing temporary road as a National Forest System road.

The project was developed, in part, in response to lesson’s learned about the expense and difficulty of suppressing the Fork Fire where it intersected with the untreated accumulation of brush, down trees and standing snags from the 2014 King Fire. Steve Hall, the acting Pacific District Ranger commented, “the planning team is a dedicated group of professionals who care about the forest and protecting the special place it is. The Forest is committed to the safety of our employees and visitors and this project will deal with these issues. We look forward to working with the public as we move ahead.”

Due to the time sensitive nature of the proposed fire salvage and hazard tree treatments, the Eldorado National Forest will apply for an Emergency Situation Determination from the Chief of the Forest Service which, if granted, would shorten the planning timeframe with the goal of starting the project activities in the late spring or early summer. This would allow the Forest to capture the economic value of the salvaged timber to support the follow up fuel reduction and reforestation actions that are being proposed.

Project information including the preliminary proposed action and the project scoping map are available online:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/eldorado/landmanagement/projects or, https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=58915.

Because the public’s ideas are important in developing project activities, the Forest will host a Virtual Public Meeting on February 25th from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM to provide an overview of the proposed Trident Project, answer questions, and listen to your feedback. The Public Meeting will be held virtually using Microsoft Teams. The public may join the meeting via a computer, mobile app or call in using the information listed below.

If you have any questions about the Trident Project, or would like more information or a printed copy of the proposed action and project map, please contact Nancy Nordensten, NEPA Planner, at nancy.nordensten@usda.gov, or (530) 647-5485.

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join on your computer or mobile app

Or call in (audio only).

Phone Number: 1-323-886-7051 (United States, Los Angeles)

Phone Conference ID: 482 053 038#

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The U.S.D.A Forest Service is an equal opportunity employer. The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.