Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve May 26, 2010 1 Agenda 1. Welcome - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve

1 May 26, 2010

2

• 1. Welcome and Introductions
• 2. Agenda Overview
• 3. Recap/Background
• 4. Community Planning Process
• 5. Demonstration Project Planning
• 6. Environmental Review (CEQA)
• 7. Next Steps

Agenda

2001 Management Plan

• Objectives:

– Ensure public safety/property protection – Improve health of forest – Protect/expand native plants – Enhance wildlife habitat – Maintain scenic quality – Improve public access – Implement Management Plan

• Framework, not blueprint, for managing Reserve

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2001 Management Plan

• Phase 1 of long-term management program
• Five types of actions:

– Hazardous tree removal – Eucalyptus thinning – Conversion planting – Native plant restoration/enhancement – Trail system improvements

• Phase 1 actions in 32 various acres of Reserve
• Annually phased work
• Adaptive management strategy

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Three levels

• f priorities

Actions Taken Since 2001

Priority 1 actions complete (7 of 9):

• Crestmont-Christopher, and Lower Medical

Center Way Hazardous Tree removal

• Installation of Rotary Meadow, a native plant

demonstration area on the summit (combination of 3 Management Plan actions)

• Aldea Screen Planting
• Cleared and improved trails through the efforts
• f Mount Sutro Stewards

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Actions Taken Since 2001 (cont.)

Priority 2 actions complete (1 of 4):

• Edgewood, Surge Hazardous Tree removal

Priority 3 actions complete (3 of 7):

• Upper Medical Center Way, East Aldea and

Chancellor’s Residence Hazardous Tree removal

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Additional Actions Taken Since 2001

• Slope stabilization and native planting on hillside

slide (due to water pipe break) site above Medical Center Way

• Tree and brush removal for construction of

Regeneration Medicine Building

• Mount Sutro Stewards’ historical trail restoration
• Non-UCSF project: SF Public Utilities

Commission pump house and pipeline project

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How Conditions Have Changed

• Forest health has continued to decline
• Fuel load has continued to increase
• Fewer hazardous trees in a few limited

areas

• Native plant garden at summit
• Trail improvements but still incomplete

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2001 Adaptive Management Strategy

• Demonstration projects prior to full-scale

implementation

• Eucalyptus Thinning in 2-acre Area L (primary

demonstration project)

• Eucalyptus Thinning in 0.5-acre Area P

(secondary demonstration project)

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2001 Adaptive Management Strategy

• Conversion Planting in 7.6 total acres in

Areas B, C, D, F, J, K, N and O (summit, south ridge and east bowl/corridor) with variety of native plants

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Sutro Forest Goals and Objectives

• SAFE
• HEALTHY
• AESTHETIC
• USABLE

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SAFE

• Reduce potential for

devastating wildfire

• Provide emergency

response access

• Remove hazardous trees

near trails, roads and structures

• Improve trailside visibility

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HEALTHY

• Reduce competition among trees

(growing space, soil water and fertility)

• Remove diseased and unhealthy

trees

• Increase growing space
• Remove vines from tree trunks

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AESTHETIC

• Maintain a forested setting
• Maintain attractive, healthy trees
• Improve visibility within forest
• Provide views beyond forest
• Privacy for neighbors

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USABLE

• Maintain adequate path and

trailside clearance

• Place logs for seating along trails

and to close unauthorized trails

• Modify steep trail segments with

switchbacks

• Enrich habitat and outdoor

experience

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Examples of Other Eucalyptus Thinning Projects

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Highway 1 “13 Curves”

Point Reyes National Seashore Issues:

• Fire safe access/egress/use for highway travelers
• Enhance native bird habitat
• Contain loss of native plants
• Reduce damage to riparian systems

After Before

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Highway 1 “13 Curves”

continued

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Prescriptions:

• Remove ground and ladder fuels
• Remove saplings under 10” in diameter
• Treat stumps with Garlon
• Remove subordinate trunks of multi-trunk trees
• Clear trunks of loose bark, debris 10’ off ground

Results:

• Very low return of understory to date
• No tree failures due to thinning
• No transfer of herbicide to adjacent trees

Camino Del Canyon

Near Muir Woods National Monument Issues:

• Fire safe access/egress for

residents

• Reinforce/enhance

defensible space

• Preserve historic tree

alignment

• Contain loss of native plants
• Prevent regrowth without

herbicides

Before After

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Camino Del Canyon

continued

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Prescriptions:

• Remove ground and ladder fuels
• Remove saplings under 10” in diameter
• Raise crowns to 10’+ above ground
• Clear trunks of loose bark, debris up to 10’
• Cover stumps with black plastic, wood chips

Results:

• More open, accessible and safe forest
• Removed 60% of eucalyptus stems
• Stump kill was fully effective on covered stumps
• Understory of poison oak, blackberry returned

Dominican College

Issues:

• Fire safe emergency access/evacuation routes
• Fire hazard reduction for surrounding community
• Reduction of ignition risks
• Reduction of fire intensity/rate of spread

Prescriptions:

• Remove ground and ladder fuels
• Thin trees for equipment maintenance
• Remove saplings under 8” in diameter
• Clear trunks of loose bark, debris to 10’
• Clear debris around remaining trees
• No herbicides used

Before

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Dominican College

continued Results:

• Nearby fire subsequent

to treatment was easily suppressed at site

• Flat area maintained

with small tractor

• Hillside not maintained

and remains hazardous

• No tree failures with

thinning

After

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Vista Tiburon

Issues:

• Reduce fire threat to surrounding homes
• Remove or safety prune hazard trees
• Reinforce and enhance defensible space
• Preserve screening for higher residents
• Preserve privacy for residents
• Enhance habitat with native trees/shrubs
• Retain forested setting

Before

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Vista Tiburon

Prescriptions:

• Remove ground and ladder fuels
• Remove subordinate eucalyptus reproduction
• Raise crowns to 10’ above grade
• Clear trunks of loose bark and debris to 10’
• Prevent stump regrowth with herbicides
• Cut sprout growth and kill stumps regularly

Results:

• Removed 44% of eucalyptus stems
• Stump kill was 100% - treatment

unknown

• 40% of replacement vegetation survived

After

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Demonstration Project Planning

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2001 Management Plan Proposal

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CEQA = California Environmental Quality Act University of California is “Lead Agency”

• Responsible for carrying out project
• Responsible for preparing CEQA

document

Environmental Review

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Purposes of CEQA

• Inform governmental decision-makers and the

public about potential significant environmental effects of proposed activities

• Identify ways to avoid or reduce significant impacts
• Prevent significant impacts by requiring feasible

mitigation measures or alternatives CEQA documents are informational, not an approval

Environmental Review

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Preparers

• UCSF staff
• UC Office of the President staff
• Consultants
• Attorneys

Environmental Review

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Levels of CEQA Review

• Exempt from CEQA
• Not exempt from CEQA

Initial Study (“IS”) Negative Declaration (“Neg Dec”) Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”) Proposed project not exempt from CEQA

Environmental Review

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Examples of UCSF as Lead Agency

• UCSF Long Range Development Plan

EIR

• UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay EIR
• Helipad Operations SEIR
• Osher Building EIR and Addendum
• Regeneration Medicine Building Negative

Declaration

Environmental Review

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Mount Sutro Project Description

• Phased implementation over 61 acres
• 2-acre Demonstration area
• South Ridge and Edgewood areas
• Remainder of forest
• Analyze range of potential management

activities to cover possible choices under “adaptive management”

Environmental Review

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CEQA Topics

• Aesthetics
• Agriculture
• Air Quality

(incl. Greenhouse Gas)

• Biology
• Cultural
• Geology
• Hazards/Hazmat
• Hydrology

Environmental Review

• Land Use
• Minerals
• Noise
• Population/Housing
• Public Services
• Recreation
• Traffic
• Utilities

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Community Concerns

• Ecosystem disturbance
• Insects, fungi, reptiles
• Carbon sequestration
• Historic elements
• Increased fire hazard
• Noise from power plant
• Light spill

Environmental Review

• Visual impacts
• Herbicide use
• Erosion
• Wind
• Vermin
• Rock outcroppings

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Activities to-date exempt from CEQA

• Maintenance of existing facilities, including landscaping
• Pruning
• Shrub/weed removal
• Trail maintenance and improvements
• Minor alterations to land
• Hazardous tree removal
• New gardening or landscaping
• Native plant garden at summit
• Accessory structures
• Trail markers

Environmental Review

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Future activities exempt from CEQA

• Ongoing maintenance
• Trail maintenance and improvements
• Hazardous tree removal
• Maintenance and plantings at native plant garden

at summit

Environmental Review