King Fire Restoration Project
Project Summary: The Eldorado National Forest, in partnership with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, received funding through Cal Fire’s California Climate Investments Forest Health Grant Program to conduct restoration on a portion of the over 10,000 acres of National Forest System lands which burned at high intensity in the 2014 King Fire. Due to the brush regrowth it is necessary to first have an initial site preparation step to control competing vegetation and maximize seedling growth and survival. This will involve either mastication or site prep broadcast burning. Removal and piling of existing fuels will reduce fuel loading and better ensure survival of seedlings in future wildfires through skidding and piling at landings on 1,000 acres where salvage logging was limited due to loss of road access and limited mill capacity following the fire. Biomass from a minimum of 250 acres will be transported to a biomass facility for utilization. Following site preparation, a mix of Ponderosa pine, Sugar Pine, Douglas-fir and Incense cedar will be planted to density of 200 trees per acre to ensure that the soils hold appropriately and do not contribute to poor water quality. Survival surveys will be conducted at the end of the first and third growing season to ensure adequate survival and stocking of planted seedlings on 1,515 acres.
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Responsible Agency: USFS
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Fire History: Site of the 2014 King Fire
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