Sherwood Firewise discusses cleanup
Fire season looms
In late January, Brooktrails Township saw an unusual amount of snow, 14 inches were reported in the storm that has been dubbed ‘Snowmageddon’. The community is still discovering the havoc the storm wreaked in the area, with many fallen trees and debris remaining on the ground as fire season approaches. Sherwood Firewise Communities (SFC) held a special meeting March 11 to discuss debris cleanup, which may take years to complete.
The Mendocino County Department of Transportation has cleared the public utility easement on either side of the public roads and has no further plans to remove downed vegetation. However, the County is working with Cal Fire and the Resource Conservation
District to plan a large-scale fuel reduction effort.
The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council has met with the County and the County grant writer, LACO Associates, to discuss a proposal that would prioritize fuel reduction work in the Brooktrails Greenbelt.
SFC Volunteer Keith Rutledge reported that state and FEMA funds are not available to help with the cleanup. Rutledge said that the damage did not qualify as enough loss. He said, “The prevention part is really the key because the loss is going to be if we can’t clean up all this material and there’s a fire, then we just added a huge amount of material that we have spent years trying to clear.”
SFC has been trying to recruit a group called Team Rubicon, a disaster response group that volunteers time, as well as Americorps. It is unknown at this point the number of workers that will come up, or when.
To prepare for the upcoming work. SFC is gathering information regarding the amount of damage there is throughout Brooktrails. Rutledge said, “We need people to report downed debris… primarily we want to focus on driveways and around residences and structures.” He elaborated that getting a handle on how much
work needs to be done will take some time. He recommended assessing damage first around homes and then working outwards.
Rutledge said that a lot of the materials may be difficult to access for removal. He said that SFC is also talking with Environmental Groups and Watershed Councils and groups that deal with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). He explained, “We have to make sure that whatever we do in trying to fix these problems, that we don’t create erosion and other problems for the forest.” Additional grant funds could ensure that the environmental concerns are addressed during the cleanup process.
Firesafe Councils throughout the county will work together to try to go after bigger grant funding.
It remains unknown how much work needs to be done in the Brooktrails community. Residents documenting and reporting damage will help SFC assess damage and plan for upcoming debris removal.
Documentation of damage can be sent to info@ sherwoodfirewise.org. Send an address of where the debris is located along with brief description and photographs if possible.
SFC is scheduling for Chipper Days that will occur March 22 and 23, email to schedule. The next SFC general meeting will be held via Zoom on April 8 from 6-8 p.m.