Since 2002, the Plumas County Fire Safe Council has implemented over dozens of Hazardous Fuel Reduction projects, covering nearly 14,000 acres of private and public lands. The treatments implemented were designed to reduce immediate fire risk to structures, reduce fire severity, and over time, improve overall community fire resilience. While there is often funding for the initial treatment planning and implementation, the opportunity to conduct long-term maintenance while treatment costs are still relatively low can be missed if not properly planned for.
This study utilized UAV and ground based imagery, fire severity, and treatment location datasets to evaluate fire hazard, risk, stand structure, and post fire severity. The study evaluated the overall maintenance needs for all treatments completed as well as treatment effectiveness for some treatments burned in the 2020 North Complex and 2021 Dixie Fire. This project was funded by the California State Board of Forestry Effectiveness Monitoring Committee.
