Forest Health Thinning

Forest Thinning

The primary emphasis of the Eel River Recovery Project (ERRP) Tenmile Creek Watershed Forest Health Project is thinning the forest to reduce fuel loads and catastrophic fire risk. Additional objectives include oak woodland restoration, enhancing soil moisture and fertility, restoring native grasses and plants, restoring hydrologic function and job creation. Thinning, in combination with prescribed fire, will promote ecosystem health and carbon storage while protecting rural communities.

ERRP is contracting with Elk Ridge Tree Service and Hybrid Indigenous Stewardship (HIS) to thin 933 acres of forest land in the Tenmile Creek watershed on private land and the Cahto Tribe Rancheria. Their crews are comprised of mostly local workers who are being trained as ecological technicians. They protect and avoid any sensitive plant species while thinning, including ones that are culturally important to Native Americans. Crews are well trained to avoid wildlife impacts, with constant surveys in advance of work. Thirty-five of the acres treated are being mechanically thinned in an ecologically sensitive manner by Edwards Excavation and Restoration. An example of their work is on the Laytonville Unified School District parcel in the West Tenmile project area. A total of 600 acres of forest land were treated as of August 2025 with an additional 333 acres to be thinned before June 30, 2026.

Laytonville Unified School District parcel in West Tenmile Project area before thinning

**North Vassar Oak Woodland Restoration**.

VASSAR RANCH: The Vassar ranch is 650 acres in the northern part of the Tenmile Creek watershed. The North Vassar project area extends north off Highway 101 on Rattlesnake grade along Hargus Road and 163 acres of oak woodland and mixed hardwood/conifer forest have been thinned. On the South Vassar parcel across Tenmile Creek, 87 acres of forest have been treated. Fuels have been piled for burning in both areas, but also lopped and scattered to set up large scale controlled ground fire.

**Landowner Steve Brown with RPF Walt Mackelburg of CALFIRE with rejuvenated oaks.**

BROWN PROPERTY: Steve Brown has owned 250 acres in the Peterson Creek watershed since 1995 and he has been working on forest health and stream restoration for most of that time. A total of 170 acres of his land is being thinned and/or burned. Several previous forest health grants from other sources, such as EQIP and an NRCS Oak Woodlands Restoration grant, set up conditions so that ERRP and Torchbearr could carry out the first ground burn in October 2024 (see Prescribed Fire). Steve is also working with the Eel River Watershed Improvement Group to enhance habitat in Peterson Creek, to couple with benefits of increased flow from thinning

**Fuels stacked at the forest edge on Gravier property**

GRAVIER PROPERTY: The Gravier property is near Laytonville off Bauer Road on lower Little Case Creek. Elk Ridge Tree Service thinned 36 acres of forest. Much of the treatment was to remove Douglas fir and dense vegetation below oak trees and to pile materials for burning. Over-stocked conifer/hardwood forest were also the target of thinning. An invasive plant species, Spanish Broom was widespread and crews cut it and piled it with other fuels. When piles are stacked on the edges of meadows, burn scars can be excellent areas for getting native grass plugs to grow.