The Eastern Fresno County Firesafe and Stewardship Fuels Reduction Program was established through a grant from the California Fire Safe Council, initiated in Feb. 2019 and runs through December 2021.

This project enlists private landowners within and adjoining the Sierra National Forest in developing defensible areas on their properties and within the WUI (Wildlands Urban Interface) that are strategically identified through the Fresno County Tree Mortality Task Force. The project area is within the Auberry-Meadow Lakes-Shaver Lake vicinity and has been identified as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. The project will include integrating into existing and planned fuel breaks and other fuel reduction efforts underway. The Task Force includes USFS, CALFIRE, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Southern California Edison (SCE), Caltrans, and Fresno County among others. The task force or TRAC (Technical and Regulatory Advisory Committee) will provide the determination on what are the key targeted areas in which to outreach to landowners. 

The Eastern Fresno County Firesafe & Fuels Reduction team will be offering Property Assessment Reports to TRAC (Technical and Regulatory Advisory Committee) advised areas of private landowners at no cost. The Property Assessment Report highlights management practice opportunities for forested lands. The objective is for landowners to better understand their forested landscape and it’s resources, identify forest improvement opportunities, and implement forest management practices if desired. The report includes the following components:

 Firesafe Component

• Dead and hazardous tree removal
• Wildfire hazard mitigation: Defensible Space & Hardening your home

Stewardship Component

• Thinning and general forest improvement work
• Reforestation/Soil erosion control
• Other land stewardship activities