Special Notice / Hearing: None
Vote Required: None
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Nicholas J. Calderon, Parks Director
Subject: Update regarding the San Mateo County Parks Department's Wildfire Fuel Management Program
RECOMMENDATION:
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Informational update regarding the San Mateo County Parks Department's Wildfire Fuel Management Program.
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BACKGROUND:
In response to the CZU Lightning Complex Fire, the San Mateo County Parks Department ("Department") developed its 5-year Wildfire Fuel Management Program ("Program"). Using best-available data and industry standards for mitigating the threat of wildfire, the Program identified 32 priority wildfire fuel reduction and public safety enhancement projects that could be feasibly implemented and/or maintained within the Program's 5-year term (2021 to 2026). These projects reduce hazardous fire fuels and enhance and maintain critical emergency response capabilities and evacuation routes. These projects total approximately 1,830 acres of land, and although the included projects do not represent the entirety of wildfire fuel management projects required within the County park system, they were identified as the most critical to complete and/or maintain within the Program's 5-year timeframe. The Board approved the Program at its February 23, 2021 meeting.
The Department-which manages 24 parks, recreation areas, and historic sites that comprise over 16,000 acres of land, mostly located within or in proximity to the wildland-urban interface-designed the Program to: (1) serve as a planning and decision-making tool to help the Department appropriate resources toward implementation and maintenance of Program projects within a 5-year period; (2) serve as an assessment process for ensuring that all projects are considered based on the same suite of criteria; and (3) serve as a way to monitor project progress and adapt maintenance strategies as needed.
Fuel reduction treatment approaches levera...
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