2021.10.28 | Public Works Plan Approved by California Coastal Commission

 

On October 15, the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved the Upper Salinas-Las Tablas Resource Conservation District’s “Forest Health and Fire Resilience Public Works Plan”. The goal of a Public Works Plan (PWP) is to evaluate large or phased public projects rather than applying for piecemeal approval from the Coastal Commission. With the plan in place, forest health and fire safety projects in the coastal zone from north of Morro Bay to the Monterey County line will be easier to plan, review, and permit.

The PWP closes a gap in the existing regulatory framework for urgently needed fire safety projects. This framework is the California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP), a state-wide program to reduce the risk from wildfires and restore healthy ecosystems. To be covered by the CalVTP, a project needs to comply with 71 project treatment standards governing impacts ranging from aesthetics to wildlife. CalVTP does not come with Coastal Commission review or approval, however, leaving coastal projects without access to this streamlined framework.

With the adoption of the Public Works Plan with its Coastal Vegetation Treatment Standards, projects can proceed under the umbrella of CalVTP, but it is important to note that no projects will be approved automatically. Project proponents must conduct a Project Specific Analysis (as per CalVTP) and – in the coastal zone of San Luis Obispo County – a Notice of Impending Development to certify it complies with the plan’s Coastal Vegetation Treatment Standards developed with the Coastal Commission. Public comment is part of both these reviews.

Devin Best, Executive Director of Upper Salinas-Las Tablas Resource Conservation District, says “The Public Works Plan is a mechanism to prioritize and streamline project approvals. The plan is the product of a great partnership with the California Coastal Commission, engagement with the local community, and collaboration with the SLO County Planning and Building Department, SLO Fire Safe Council, CalFIRE, and Auten Resource Consulting.”

The plan does not establish any new districts, but it is overseen by our local Resource Conservation District with a service area of northern San Luis Obispo County, and parts of Monterey and Kern Counties. Established in 1951 by the state, the Upper Salinas-Las Tablas Resource Conservation District is a non-profit that provides services and education to landowners that supports their management and stewardship of soil, water, and natural resources.

Project proponents are not required to get approval through the PWP framework. They can apply directly to the California Coastal Commission for a coastal development permit, but that process can take several years. Projects that are plan-compliant, however, will not be required to obtain an individual coastal development permit or pay related fees.

The first project that will be conducted under the PWP is treatment of 665 acres of the Covell Ranch. A Project Specific Analysis and Coastal Vegetation Treatment Standards review has been completed for this forest health and fire safety project. The largest part of the project is restoration of health in the Monterey pine forest. “About 70% of the trees are dead or dying,” according to Dan Turner, SLO Fire Safe Council, as reported in The Cambrian. Fire safety is the priority along the interface between Covell Ranch and the village of Cambria. Having lacked natural disturbance for many decades, restoring the forest to a more natural state calls for mechanical and manual treatments, control burns of cut material, and selective herbicide application to control invasive plants. Work may start as early as November 1. The entire project is expected to be phased over the course of 10-year life of the plan.

Article first published in https://cambriaca.org/

Images: Covell Ranch from Covell Ranch Forest Health Fuels Reduction Project Project-Specific Analysis, CAL FIRE