Sierra RCD’s Forestry and Watershed Program partnered with Pioneer Logging to complete a 102-acre shaded fuel break spanning 2.2 miles along the ridge between Miramonte and Pinehurst. The T-26 Fuel Break was designed to reduce hazardous fuels, enhance firefighter safety during wildfire events, and protect nearby communities and natural habitats.
Crews used mastication, plucking, hand thinning, piling, and burning to remove dense vegetation, primarily manzanita, ceanothus, and smaller trees, while retaining healthy oaks, pines, and other beneficial species. Remaining trees and shrubs were limbed to reduce ladder fuels.
The project included grading an existing dirt road to improve emergency access, and crews installed 34 water bars and rolling dips to reduce erosion and help maintain the road over time. This work took place across six private parcels, where crews burned 40 piles, consuming approximately 1,788.7 tons of biomass.
This project was completed through funding from the US Forest Service’s Community Wildfire Defense Grant. Sierra RCD completed the project in partnership with the Oak to Timberline Fire Safe Council (OTFSC) and the Miramonte Pinehurst Firewise Community to help expand the fuel break network in the area. At 102 acres and 2.2 miles in length, this is the largest fuels reduction project implemented by Sierra RCD to date.
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