The Bummerville/Blizzard Mine Fuels Reduction and Forest Restoration Project (Project) is an implementation project in northern Calaveras County near the communities of Bummerville and West Point. The applicant, the Calaveras County Resource Conservation District (CCRCD), will complete 460 acres of ladder fuel reduction and forest thinning on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) parcels within the Mokelumne Watershed.

The Project is spread among three separate BLM parcels, all within close proximity to each other. The elevation ranges between 2,560’ and 3,160’ and the site is dominated by a Sierra mixed conifer forest type. There are also many dense and overgrown ponderosa pine plantations and heavy ladder fuels of whiteleaf manzanita and ceanothus scattered throughout the project area. All three parcels have substantial areas with tree mortality from drought and insect damage. The Project will conduct mechanical mastication to reduce ladder fuels and open the forest stand structure, spreading mulch evenly across the landscape to suppress regrowth of brush. Approximately 65 acres of this 460-acre project will have some level of commercial timber harvest and/or biomass removal.

The Project directly supports SNC’s mission to improve forest and watershed health. The Project also will support the local economy by providing well-paying jobs in the restoration and timber industry. Located in the South Fork of the Mokelumne Watershed downstream beneficiaries include Calaveras County Water District and East Bay Municipal Utility District.

Project Cost: $1,450,740