One At A Time

I haven't posted much on the Coyote/Circle/Westmont project area so I thought I would take this chance to highlight some of the great work that has been occurring on the project. The majority of this project area includes actual work on 7 acres located on the lower section of Coyote Road x Sycamore Canyon. A majority of this project area was burned in the 2008 Tea Fire and involves the crews in removing a lot of burned and dead material.

Work is being accomplished by a CCC Type 1 hand crew out of Camarillo, CA. Not only have they been doing some great hazardous fuels reduction work, this project area has presented them a perfect opportunity to sharpen their skills on the saw and to train others so that in times of emergency they are prepared to do the job quickly and safely.

In this video they are practicing a method of falling to prevent a very dangerous out of control situation, known as a "barber chair", from occurring on this large leaning dead tree.

Project Updates

December will mark the last month available to complete all work under the 2010 Santa Barbara Community Hazard Reduction Grant that has been funded in cooperation with the California Firesafe Council.

There is currently only a small amount of ground work left to be completed, in addition to the removal of several large Eucalyptus Trees that have been identified for removal, on the Eucalyptus Hill Road vegetation management unit project. These trees are either dead or pose a significant fire hazard. Work to remove these trees is taking place this week.

We are also in the final days of completing work in the Coyote Road/Circle Drive/Westmont project. That project is expected to be completed within the next 2 weeks.

It's Been A While.

"Before" on Coyote Road

Time does fly. Especially when you are busy and busy we are. With multiple projects in the works, I have found that I am a bit back logged updating pictures and projects. I will, over the next few weeks, be posting pictures about our activity through the Wildland Fire Suppression Assessment District over the past few months.

The picture above is one of the many reasons we have been so busy. We are 2 weeks into our last California Fire Safe Council Grant project area. This project area is a combination of the Coyote Road, Westmont/Las Barrancas. and Circle Drive Vegetation Management Units. Overgrown, loaded with exotic/invasive plants, and full of dead material that was hit hard during the 2008 Tea Fire, this project area leaves us with plenty to do.

Current project work is occurring on the parcels on the South end of Coyote Road. Work is being accomplished with a California Conservation Corp, Type I Fire Handcrew being run under the direction of Cal Fire. I expect that work that will take place, wildland fires permitting, throughout the next few weeks in hopes that we have completion by the Thanksgiving holiday.

While I don't have any "after" pictures uploaded yet, I have included some "before" shots to give you an idea of what we have been working with in this project.

Big Work Starts Tomorrow

Large Trees Throughout the Eucalyptus Hill Project

In addition to the ground work treatment that is accomplished through our projects, on many occasions, work will also require us to thin out, limb up and treat larger stands of mature trees. The Eucalyptus Hill Road project is a great example of a project area that has a dense stand of very tall, mature trees that have not been maintained. These Eucalyptus, Pittosporum and Palm trees are all invasive, contribute significantly to the overall fuel load in the area, create ladder fuels and limit the growth of more fire resistant native vegetation.

Over the next few week we will have a crew working through our project area to reduce the overall density of these larger Eucalyptus trees in the area.

It's A Jungle Out There



Before

 We are now two weeks into the Eucalyptus Hill Road project and our crews are making great progress. They have cut nearly 3 acres and are working on pulling that material out from a large canyon area located just off Eucalyptus Hill Road. This area currently poses a significant fire hazard due to the total fuel load comprised of dead vegetation, overgrown/unmaintained vegetation and invasive plants like pittosporum and eucalyptus trees that have taken over the area.

Through this project we will also be targeting the removal of some larger eucalyptus trees. Initial removal of these trees is set to begin Monday, August 27th


Vegetation Being Hauled Out



Eucalyptus Hill Road Project Begins

With the release of our bird nesting season requirements we broke ground this week on the Eucalyptus Hill vegetation management project. This project is expected to run through mid-October. A total of 26 acres is scheduled to be treated. Stay tuned for information and more pictures.