Grass Valley Creek Watershed Fire Management Plan Prepared for: Bureau of Land Management Prepared By: Kenneth C. Baldwin Registered Professional Forester December 31, 2002 Grass Valley Creek Watershed Fire Management Plan Prepared by: Kenneth C. Baldwin, RPF #1855 PO Box 40 Douglas City, CA 96024 (530) 623-3208 Presented by : Trinity County Resource Conservation District PO Box 1450 Weaverville, CA 96093 (530) 623-6004 Funded by: Bureau of Land Management Redding Field Office “Jobs-in-the-Woods” December 31, 2002 Contract Number BAA010010-T.O. #003 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW .......................................................................................1 PURPOSE...........................................................................................................................................................1 LOCATION ........................................................................................................................................................2 OWNERSHIP ......................................................................................................................................................2 TOPOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................................................3 CLIMATE AND FIRE WEATHER .........................................................................................................................3 PAST FIRES AND PRESENT THREATS................................................................................................................4 FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY: HAZARD, RISK AND VALUES AT RISK ....................................................................6 Fire Hazard..................................................................................................................................................6 Fire Risk.......................................................................................................................................................7 Values at Risk...............................................................................................................................................7 FIRE FIGHTING RESOURCES .............................................................................................................................8 TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM (FIRE ACCESS) ...................................................................................................11 Roads Originating from State Highway 299..............................................................................................11 Named Roads Originating from Highway 299 (listed from west to east)..............................................12 Poker Bar Road and Connecting Roads (listed from south to north).................................................12 Lewiston Road and Connecting Roads (listed from south to north)..................................................12 Timber Trails .....................................................................................................................................13 Trinity Dam Boulevard and Connecting Roads (listed from south to north).....................................13 Clark Creek Road...............................................................................................................................13 Shingle Shanty Road..........................................................................................................................13 Dam Access Road and Connecting Roads (listed from north to south).............................................14 County Line Road and Connecting Roads (from north to south) ......................................................14 Hoadley Peaks Road and Connecting Roads (from south to north)...................................................15 Unnamed Roads Originating from Highway 299 (listed from west to east)..........................................16 Roads Originating in Adjacent Watersheds...............................................................................................17 CHAPTER 2. NATURAL RESOURCES....................................................................................................18 WILDLIFE HABITAT VEGETATION TYPES ......................................................................................................18 Sierran Mixed-Conifer (SMC) Forest Habitat...........................................................................................20 Klamath Mixed-Conifer (KMC) Forest Habitat ........................................................................................21 Douglas-fir (DFR) Forest Habitat.............................................................................................................21 White Fir (WFR) Forest Habitat................................................................................................................22 Ponderosa Pine (PPN) Forest Habitat ......................................................................................................23 Closed-Cone Pine-Cypress (CPC) Forest Habitat ....................................................................................23 Montane Hardwood-Conifer (MHC) Forest Habitat.................................................................................24 Montane Hardwood (MHW) Forest Habitat .............................................................................................25 Montane Riparian (MRI) Forest Habitat...................................................................................................25 Montane Chaparral (MCP) Shrub Habitat................................................................................................26 Annual Grassland Habitat (AGS) ..............................................................................................................26 Wet Meadow Habitat (WTM).....................................................................................................................27 Barren Habitat (BAR)................................................................................................................................27 Lacustrine Habitat (LAC) ..........................................................................................................................27 GEOLOGY .......................................................................................................................................................27 i SOILS ..............................................................................................................................................................28 Granitic Soils .............................................................................................................................................28 Ultramafic Soils .........................................................................................................................................32 Other Soils .................................................................................................................................................33 WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES ..............................................................................................................................36 Wildlife.......................................................................................................................................................36 Fish and Water Quality..............................................................................................................................37 Threatened and Endangered Species.........................................................................................................38 CULTURAL RESOURCES .................................................................................................................................38 CHAPTER 3. LANDOWNER VALUES AND GOALS ............................................................................38 ISSUES, CONCERNS AND GUIDELINES ............................................................................................................39 Bureau of Land Management Guidelines ..................................................................................................39 Bureau of Land Management Goals ..........................................................................................................42 Industrial Forest Landowner Guidelines...................................................................................................42 Industrial Forest Landowner Goals...........................................................................................................43 Residential Forest Landowner Guidelines.................................................................................................44 Residential Forest Landowner Goals ........................................................................................................45 CHAPTER 4. FORESTRY ...........................................................................................................................46 PUBLIC FORESTRY..........................................................................................................................................47 INDUSTRIAL FORESTRY..................................................................................................................................51 RURAL RESIDENTIAL FORESTRY....................................................................................................................52