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San Luis Obispo Monterey Pine Restoration
Forest Health Grant

Project Partners

San Luis Obispo Community FireSafe Council
Upper Salinas - Las Tablas Resource Conservation District
Covell Ranch
Hearst Ranch
Cambria Community Services District
California Fish and Wildlife
CAL FIRE

Overview of Actions

ARC Forestry supported the development of a CAL FIRE Forest Health Grant that was awarded for 6.7 million dollars. ARC Forestry is supporting the management and implementation of this grant under an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the partners listed.

This grant effort focuses on implementing ecologically restorative treatments to promote the health and resilience of native Monterey pine stands whilst reducing fuel loading surrounding the community of Cambria.

To implement this work, ARC Forestry prioritized and designed treatment areas and treatment prescriptions across 1,000’s of acres, which included field verification, partner coordination, public presentations, and agency negotiations. Ultimately leading to the development of various CalVTP Project Specific Analyses (PSAs), several CEQA Exemption Governor’s Suspensions, and multiple archaeological survey reports to go operational.

ARC Forestry is responsible for developing project specifications for contracts, conducting bid tours, evaluating bids, supporting contractor selection, developing ARC Field Maps for operations and planning, conducting project layout, and supervising treatment implementation, including winter period monitoring.

ARC Forestry supported un-siloed capacity building for all partners to share our methods with and expand regional capacity through training land stewards and contractors alike. 

Treatment Status

Over 200 acres treated to date with the expectation for completion of the grant area in 2028.

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Before

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After

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LOCATION

San Luis Obispo

TREATMENT ATTRIBUTES

  • Forest Health Fuels Reduction
  • Forest Density Reduction
  • Roadside Treatments
  • Hazard Tree Removal
  • Invasive Exotic Management

PROJECT COMPONENTS

Documentation

  • Several CalVTP PSAs – developed
  • Seven Governor’s Suspensions – developed and approved
  • Archaeological Survey Reports – developed and approved
  • Vegetation Treatment Specifications – developed and approved
  • Contract and Request for Bid – development and support

Field & Operations

  • Operational layout and mapping completed supporting the implementation of the CalVTP SPR’s and appropriate avoidance measures
  • Conducted permit compliance supervision on vegetation treatment implementation

STAFF INVOLVED

  • Steve Auten, Owner/RPF – project design and strategy, grant development, permit development, mapping, and operational supervision
  • David Van Lennep, Chief Forester of Operations – direction, operational planning, contracting, and supervision
  • Shelby Kranich, Director of Forest Resilience – direction, grant development, permitting, field verification and layout, and operational supervision
  • Chloe Knowd, Senior Associate Forester – project layout, mapping, operational planning, and operational supervision
  • Charlie Hillis, Assistant Forester III – project layout, lead document development, mapping, and operational supervision
  • Heath Hooper, Assistant Forester II – project layout, lead document development, mapping and operational supervision
  • Daniel Auten, Lead Forestry Technician – field verification, and layout
  • Nolan Hayes, Lead Forestry Technician – field verification, and layout