Arnold, CA…CAL FIRE awarded Calaveras County Resource Conservation District (CCRCD) a grant funded by California Climate Investments (CCI) dollars to reduce a dangerous fuel load on 30 acres of undeveloped common property located in the Mill Woods subdivision of Arnold. The goal of the project is to decrease the fuel load and create a fuel break protecting the Mill Woods subdivision as well as central Arnold and other neighboring communities. The cleared area will reduce the risk of fire ignition, slow its potential spread, and provide the first responders with the critical extra time to achieve control of the fire situation.

A contract for the groundwork on the project has been awarded to Ronwright Logging, a local Dorrington company. The contractor broke ground on the project July 11. Working within seasonal constraints due to fire concerns, it is expected that the project will be completed in approximately one month.

Ronwright Logging will treat the area, which includes a small section of the Arnold Rim Trail (ART), using powerful masticating machinery. Because of the danger caused as a byproduct of this machinery, the public is warned to avoid the working area. Warning signs have been placed at select areas within Mill Woods as well as in areas approaching the ART. To protect trail hikers, the ART will be closed between the end of ADA trail portion from the Logging
Museum and the intersection with the Cedar Center feeder trail.

According to Gordon Long, Executive Director of CCRCD, “It is important to note that the Mill Woods project is part of a major effort to construct shaded fuel breaks around all communities from Camp Connell to Murphys on the Hwy 4 corridor with major contributions from Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Sierra Pacific Industries, Stanislaus National Forest and other subdivisions. The CCRCD is pleased to play an important role in this significant project.”

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is an emergency response and resource protection organization. Department personnel and equipment are a familiar sight throughout the state with responsibility for protecting over 31 million acres of California’s privately-owned wildlands, as well as provide emergency services to 150 local government cooperators through agreements with districts, cities and counties.

California Climate Investments (CCI) is a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities.

Calaveras County Resource Conservation District (CCRCD) is a special district of the state of California set up to implement projects on public and private lands and educate landowners and the public about resource conservation.

Mill Woods, a Firewise Community, was established in 1989 and is located within the community of Arnold, CA. The 74-acre subdivision is bordered on the north, east and west by the Stanislaus National Forest, and on the south by other homes and lots in the Arnold community. Like most communities within Calaveras County, Mill Woods is home to both fulltime residents and a significant number of part-time residents.
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