Roadside hazards targeted in Eldorado National Forest

USDA Forest Service

The Eldorado National Forest is beginning implementation of its Roadside Hazard Tree Mitigation Project. This project is designed to reduce safety hazards along the 2,461 miles of National Forest System roads, including 116 miles of state, local and private roads in Alpine, Amador, El Dorado and Placer counties.

The project aims to ensure the integrity of NFS roads and improve safety for the public, Forest Service sta , firefighters, emergency response personnel, law enforcement, private landowners, contractors, special use permit holders and others.

More than 1,200 miles of the roadways to be attended to are designated for high-clearance vehicles.

Trees that have been killed or damaged by a fire, as well as those a ected by insects, disease, drought or other stressors may become unstable and more likely to fall, particularly in high winds or other adverse weather conditions. This project’s goal to identify and remove those hazardous trees within striking distance of roads is a proactive approach to reducing the risk of accidents, injuries and damage to roads.

The project’s scope is to identify, fell and remove hazardous trees that are at risk of striking a road within a bu er area of 200 feet from the edges of NFS maintenance level 1 through level 5 roads, as

Smiths Continued from A1

The May 5 pre-pretrial was not without some jockeying between the defense and prosecution. An order to compel that had been issued to the defense, requiring them to provide the names, references and summaries of anticipated testimony of any expert witnesses, was given a deadline of mid-April, which the defense did not meet. The defense argued, as the preliminary hearing date that had initially been set for May had been vacated, the timing requirement was not binding.

Judge Vicki Ashworth noted the request was unusual for a preliminary hearing, as it was not an actual trial, but emphasized the need to adhere

Dr.

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P.S. Some toothpastes contain ingredients like calcium chloride that bond with fluoride ions, making mouthwash less effective. In these cases, you can rinse with mouthwash before brushing or with water after brushing, just before using mouthwash.

Not all roads within the project area will be treated and roads within designated wilderness areas are not included in the project scope.

“The Eldorado National Forest’s Roadside Hazard Tree Mitigation Project was designed to increase the resilience of the forest to a range of environmental threats, not just wildfires. By removing hazardous trees that could pose a risk to public safety and infrastructure, the project aims to reduce the impact of future wildfires and other natural disasters,” said Forest Supervisor Joseph Stout.

Treatment of lower maintenance level roads will be based on various factors, including administrative needs, permittee needs, access needs for utilities and other uses. The project will use a variety of methods to remove the hazardous trees within the designated bu er area. These methods may include mechanical removal and piling, hand removal and hand piling, mastication, towed or in-wood chipping and pile burning.

The project is conducted in phases and the first phase will focus on 231 miles of roads within the Caldor Fire footprint.

This phase of the project is expected to last two to three years, indicating that it is a significant undertaking. Information on each phase of the project will be shared with the public prior to work being started.

“I don’t want any kind of gamesmanship here; this is a very serious case,” Ashworth emphasized.

The Smiths were identified as the potential fire-starters by the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office in 2021. David and Travis have both been charged with recklessly setting the fire that would go on to burn 221,835 acres, causing structures, forest land and personal property to be consumed by flames and also causing great bodily injury to multiple people. The charges are subject to an enhancement due to the extent of structure damage and injuries caused.

The pair additionally received a felony charge for possession of a suppressor for firearms between Aug. 11 and Sept. 23, 2021. Travis also faces a felony charge for reportedly intentionally and illegally converting a firearm to a machine gun or manufacturing a machine gun some time between Aug. 9 and Aug. 14, 2021.

Both men entered not guilty pleas to all counts at their arraignment in December 2021. The father and son are currently out on bond; their initial bails had been set at $1 million each but were lowered to $25,000 for David and $50,000 for Travis in late December 2021.