BROOKTRAILS TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT

GREENBELT STEWARDSHIP PLAN PROPOSAL

INTRODUCTION

The Brooktrails Township Community Services District (BTCSD) and the community that it serves contains a 2,500-acre greenbelt. The Greenbelt comprises a mixed redwood forest that was last logged in 1964. The developers of Brooktrails mandated that this land be left free of development. The community has not yet developed a plan of stewardship for this multipurpose asset.

Purpose:

• To protect and promote the ecosystem integrity and sustainability of the 2,500- acre Greenbelt.
• To maintain the resilience of the system to adapt to short-term stresses and long-term change.

• To develop a mosaic of native redwood, conifer and hardwood forest, consisting of a mix of types and ages that promotes a diverse natural forest.
• It is to be a preserve, with restoration and minimal intervention.

• A forest-residential interface, whose beauty drew many residents to Brooktrails
• Brooktrails' watershed
• A source of recreation
• A diverse redwood-type forest that provides key riparian and terrestrial habitat for a variety of aquatic life, plant life and wildlife

• Open space, in an area where urban growth and development continues to move north
• A place of peace, beauty and spirituality for the soul - the heart of the Brooktrails community
• A double-edged sword - the benefits of a forest/residential interface balance by the risk of fire

California Department of Transportation (DOT)
Brooktrails Fire Department
California Department of Fish & Game (DF&G)
California Department of Forestry (CDF)

• Protection
  • from fire
  • from erosion
  • of forest and species diversity and habitat
• Special Consideration for Riparian Zones
• Recreation
• Restoration

• Logging for profit or to subsidize costs
• Herbicide usage

ZONES FOR MANAGEMENT

• Private Residences and Land
  
• Border Zone – Greenbelt/Residential Interface.
  
• Neighborhood Greenbelt Zone – Greenbelt parcels too small to be treated as "ecologically sustainable" forest land and surrounded by private property.
  

• Fire Defense Zone – Strategic area treated as a "shaded fuel break" or helicopter landing zone.
  

• Evacuation Routes – Roads designated for emergency exits and entry for emergency equipment and personnel. These are the main collector roads in Brooktrails.
  
• Riparian Zones – Protective buffers around streams, ponds, springs, reservoirs and wetlands.
  
• Special Protection Zone – A site-specific area left in its natural state due to natural, aesthetic, historical or archaeological significance.
  
• Core Zone – Areas of the Greenbelt large enough to be treated as ecologically sustainable forest land.
  

FIRE

Introduction - Core Zone Defense

A stand-replacing fire that destroys the Greenbelt/watershed

A fire that spreads to/from the Border Zone, impacting the Core Zone, private property and life

Protect and promote the ecosystem and the watershed's integrity

Protect private property and life

Definition of "thinning from below": The cutting and removal of small trees (6" or less diameter at breast height) in the understory of the canopy, and "limbing up" (removing lower limbs of trees to 10' above the ground) to raise the bottom of the canopy and remove ladder fuels.

• BTCSD's watershed
• The Greenbelt: a mixed redwood-type forest, that compensates for key habitat lost to development and past logging

1. Residences and private property
2. The Border Zone, 100 - 300 feet into the Greenbelt, depending on the slope of the land
3. Neighborhood Greenbelt Zones
4. Evacuation Routes (Note: trees shall not form a canopy over the road)
5. Implementation

a. Brooktrails Fire Department monitoring of private property abatement
b. Education of Border Zone property owners concerning abatement in the Greenbelt and the Community Park Zones
c. Contract with a single firewood harvester for work in the
Neighborhood Greenbelt Zones and Border Zone

-- The contractor must be bonded.
-- The contractor will cut using BTCSD abatement standards.
-- The contractor's work will be evaluated periodically.

1. Development of a shaded fuel break on Ridge Road. This would
consist of a 30% reduction of a 100% canopy, saving as many
larger hardwoods, redwoods and other conifers as possible.

2. Implementation

a. Work cooperatively with owners of vacant lots in the proposed shaded fuel break area

b. Seek to access Emergency Fuel Reduction funds to cover the cost of creating the shaded fuel break

c. Seek funds for care of the Greenbelt, with part to be used to maintain that part of the shaded fuel break on District land

d. Coordinate efforts with the Fire Safe Council and CDF

1. Work will be guided by Natural Selection-based forestry practices and will leave an environment capable of sustaining forest, plant and animal life

2. Work will be planned and evaluated by a "Greenbelt Steward" or forester

Definition of "Greenbelt Steward": A forester grounded in ecosystem interrelatedness and functions and Natural Selection forestry practices

3. Implementation – See Fuel Treatments A.5 and B.2.

1. Brooktrails Fire Department slash standards will apply to:

a. private property
b. Border Zone
c. Neighborhood Greenbelt Zone

2. Forest Practice standards will apply to the Core Zone, as follows:

a. Slash is defined as less than 3 inches in diameter.
b. No slash within 100 feet of a residence or public road.
c. Slash may be lopped and scattered, but piles must be less than 1 foot high.
d. Slash may be chipped.
e. Slash may not be burned.

1. Curriculum to include:

a. Brooktrails Fire Department abatement standards
b. Balancing abatement with species sustainability
c. BTCSD's policies/paperwork for abating in the Greenbelt adjacent to private property
d. Safety issues, including demonstration by forester, licensed timber operator or Greenbelt Steward

2. Classes to be held twice a year or more often, based on community need
3. Classes to be publicized in the Willits News and on the BTCSD website

1. Meetings to focus on neighborhood organization for fire safety education, individualization of fire defense plans, and cooperative abatement efforts

2. BTCSD will promote and foster neighborhood organization by:

a. Assisting neighborhood groups to find speakers and, if necessary, a meeting place

b. Providing copies of:

-- Brooktrails Fire Department abatement standards

-- BTCSD's policies/paperwork for abating in the Greenbelt adjacent to private property

-- Maps of the neighborhood and of evacuation routes

-- Class schedule for the abatement class

3. Meeting content shall include:

a. Discussion of an individualized neighborhood fire reduction plan

b. Developing awareness of elders and handicaped persons in the neighborhood who may need assistance with abatement or evacuation

c. Discussion of cooperative abatement efforts in Border and Community Park Zones adjacent to the neighborhood

d. Fire Safe concerns including:

-- House identification

-- Making houses more fire-resistant

-- Shelter-in-place guidelines

-- Evacuation planning

EROSION & SEDIMENTATION

To protect and promote ecosystem integrity

• Short-term: To control erosion
  
• Long-term: Monitor and maintain erosion control
  

• Brooktrails road system - A 1991 DOT study noted 471 active erosion sites. This is the primary source of erosion in Brooktrails.
  
• Old logging roads
  
• Landslides and earth slippages
  
• Illegal ATV and four-wheel-drive vehicle access
  
• Construction
  

-- District
-- Private

• Future abatement, thinning, and remediation work in the Greenbelt
  

• Water quality due to sediment load
  
• Water storage due to silting up of reservoirs
  
• Water run-off affecting watershed function, and a potential source of flooding
  
• Aquatic life - Three species of endangered fish live in Willits Creek.
  
• Soil quality, affecting forest/watershed health
  
• Trails and roads
  
• BTCSD budget:
  
• building moratorium due to water supply
• dredging costs
• future Eel River Watershed sediment load regulations
• trail maintenance

1. Severity

• size of sediment load
  
• undermining of structures, roads or trails
  

2. Ease of access

• private vs. BTCSD land
  
• distance into the Greenbelt
  

3. Provide DOT with the prioritized list of sites
4. Lobby DOT to start work on erosion sites within BTCSD
5. Monitor progress

• Map old logging roads
  
• Determine need for each road - fire access, recreation, etc.
  
• Decommission unneeded logging roads, using the lease damaging methods
  
• Prioritize logging road erosion sites as with County Road above
  
• Apply for funds for erosion control and prevention
  
• Incrementally remediate erosion sites as BTCSD funding allows
  

• Locate and prioritize sites
  
• Apply to and lobby the Sonoma County Integrated Regional Water Management Plan, with which BTCSD is affiliated, for funding
  

• Map and evaluate sites of illegal access to the Greenbelt for:
  
  • location
    
  • amount of damage
    
  • best means to block access
    
  • need for remediation
    
• Budget for corrective measures as BTCSD funds allow
  
• Provide public education about erosion concerns
  
• Encourage reporting of illegal ATV and four-wheel-drive vehicle access and erosion concerns to BTCSD for evaluation and action

1. Provide staff with continuing education on the causes, prevention and remediation of erosion

2. Continue the current review process for BTCSD construction projects:

• CEQA review
  
• Fish & Game, where indicated
  
• Recreation, Greenbelt & Conservation Committee
  
• Public input
  

1. Utilize the Specific Plan Advisory Committee to address the topic of erosion caused by private construction

2. Develop and provide educational material on erosion prevention, and include in the Site Development Packet application for BTCSD

3. Increase public awareness about erosion problems and prevention

4. Encourage reporting of erosion concerns to BTCSD for evaluation and any required action

5. Work with Mendocino County to encourage compliance with erosion prevention and remediation during construction

• All work must be justified ecologically, with consideration of the watershed, aquatic life and forest health.
  
• Work is to be done in the most ecologically sound manner possible.
  
• Projects are to be planned by the Greenbelt Steward or a consulting forester.
  
• Input will be sought from the Recreation, Greenbelt & Conservation Committee and the public.
  
• See Restoration Guidelines.
  

RIPARIAN ZONES

Note: The California Department of Fish & Game is in the process of developing new guidelines for riparian zones. If they are more protective than those proposed in this plan, they will be incorporated into these guidelines.


Introduction

Riparian zones include:

• Class I Streams

Fish-bearing streams, or a water source for people.

• Class II Streams

Non-fish-bearing, but an aquatic habitat. Aquatic life is capable of completing a life cycle during its flow.

• Class III Streams

Seasonal, but capable of carrying sediment.

• Lakes, Springs, Natural Ponds

• Constructed Reservoirs and Ponds

• Wetlands

• Unstable Areas

Sites of potential slides and erosion.

• Maintain their beneficial functions
• Protect those functions where they are threatened
• Restore them when impaired, when economically feasible

• Work shall be planned with the consultation of a Greenbelt Steward, consultant or the California Department of Fish & Game.

• Work (except for emergencies) will not occur in the wet season.
  
  
• Work will be planned in the least environmentally disturbing way possible. This includes, but is not limited to, the consideration of these factors:
  

• Sedimentation and erosion risks
  
• Increased peak flows of streams or flooding frequency which affects water
  
• storage and erosion
  
• Wildlife, fish and aquatic habitat needs, such as
  

• water temperature control
• spawning and rearing habitat for salmonids
• migration corridors
• nesting, roosting and escape habitat
• snags and surface cover
• food abundance issues

• Work in riparian zones will be limited to:
  

• Limbing up
  
• Thinning for forest health
  
• Erosion or sedimentation control or protection
  
• Wildlife or aquatic habitat improvement
  

• Borders for Riparian Zones:
  

• Class I Streams - 150 feet
  
• Class II Streams - 100 feet
  
• Class III Streams - 50 feet
  

• Lakes, Springs or Natural Ponds - 150 feet
  
• Constructed Reservoirs or Ponds - 100 feet
  
• Wetlands & Unstable Areas - per consultation with DF&G
  

RECREATION

To provide space and facilities for recreation and the enjoyment of the Greenbelt, while protecting ecosystem integrity

• Par Course

• Monitor degree of use, and maintain as necessary
  

• Ball Field
  

• Children's Playground

• Complete fencing
  

• Ohl Redwood Grove

• Philosophy of Use to be used to guide development and use
  
• Development Plan to be completed:
  

-- refurbish multi-use courts
-- build restroom
-- develop a handicapped access path
-- develop an amphitheater
-- restore a building for use as a classroom/day camp
-- rebuild a bridge for park access
-- entry parking with rock barrier protection of park

• Potential Plans:

• Cooperative swimming pool
  
• Bike riding paths/trails
  

• Control parking and driving within the site, but have handicapped parking available.
  
• Have off-site parking within walking distance.
  
• Control ATV and four-wheel-drive access.
  
• Limit access by large groups during the wet season.
  
• Provide signs to inform the public of BTCSD regulations.
  
• Consult with DF&G, as needed.
  

• Maintain existing trails
  
• Improve existing trails

• Thimbleberry Bridge
  

• Restore trails lost to overgrowth
  
• Seek to develop new trails

• Brooktrails - Willits Trail
  
• Seek to obtain trail access where blocked by private lots
  
• Seek and develop trailhead parking areas
  

1. Seek creative lot trades/donations to obtain trailheads, pocket parks, viewing sites or open space in more developed areas.
   
   
2. Work with the Wild Turkey Club.
   
   
3. Seek state and federal recreation grants.
   
   
4. Develop a file of proposed projects and the data for their implementation for a rapid response when grant opportunities present.
   
   
5. Work with the City of Willits to obtain funding for joint projects.
   
   
6. Seek cooperative community funding within the BTCSD community for larger projects.
   
   
7. District funding, as the budget allows.
   

RESTORATION OF THE CORE ZONE

Restoration of the Core Zone is a long-term goal of the Stewardship Plan. Yet, it is the heart—the center goal, of the plan. Therefore, its introduction involves more elaboration.

A review:
Long-term goal of the Stewardship Plan: To develop a mosaic of native redwood, conifer and hardwood forest, consisting of a mix of types and ages, that promotes a diverse natural forest.

Definitions:
"Core Zone": Areas of the Greenbelt large enough to be treated as ecologically sustainable forest land.
"Ecologically sustainable": Having the ability to sustain a diverse ecological stability over time.

Description: A diverse redwood-type forest that provides key riparian and terrestrial habitat for aquatic and wildlife species. BTCSD's watershed.


The Core Zone is to be a forest preserve, with restoration and minimal intervention. Guidelines for management are strongly influenced by Natural Selection forestry practices.


Natural Selection Forestry Principles

• Recognizes that natural forests have biological, ecological, recreational, aesthetic, economic (watershed) and spiritual values, and seeks to sustain them.
  

• Believes that an understanding of how ecosystems function and interact is critical.
  

• Believes that species sustainability relies on the reproduction of naturally evolved survival trails, and seeks to promote them.
  

• In the forest, there is a continuing process of thinning and removing the weaker members of a population, as selected by nature. This allows territory for the roots and crowns of the stronger dominants.
  

• A multi-layer canopy exists and natural levels of woody material are left on the forest floor, to promote biological health and wildlife habitat.
  

• Riparian areas provide important aquatic species habitat and must be protected from erosion.
  

• Defines "restoration" as: Returning the forest to its original species mix and ecological functions.
  

• Believes that a late successional forest is more capable of withstanding a catastrophic fire.
  

• Projects will be developed by a Greenbelt Steward or consulting forester and reviewed by the Recreation, Greenbelt & Conservation Committee and BTCSD's Board of Directors. They will be available for public review and comment.

Definition of "Greenbelt Steward": A forester grounded in ecosystem interrelatedness and function and Natural Selection forestry practices.

• Projects will be guided by Natural Selection forestry philosophy, in general.
  

• Projects and their impact on the forest will be observed, recorded and evaluated over time by the Greenbelt Steward or consulting forester.
  

• Projects will be site-specific: planned for the specific soil, plants, trees and wildlife in the area.
  

• Before a project is planned and carried out, the area will be evaluated for:
  

-- Potential late successional habitat areas where large second growth exists
-- Unique wildlife habitat components (hollow trees, snags, springs, rock outcrops, etc.)
-- Grassland areas and serpentine soil areas where rare plants may exist or be reestablished. Any project will take these characteristics into account and plan for their protection.

• Restoration may include:
  

-- Natural selection thinning to reduce crowding and accelerate the growth of the stronger, dominant trees.

-- Gradual thinning of tan oak and interplanting with site-specific redwood or conifers.

-- The creation of small scattered openings to mimic a diverse forest mosaic that occurs under natural conditions, and provides food for browsers.

-- The careful removal of dead and dying trees to reduce fire risk and enhance forest health, while maintaining biologically appropriate levels of downed woody material on the forest floor.

• Monitoring the Greenbelt for signs of disease, erosion and weather damage.
  
• Monitoring work done in the Greenbelt.
  
• Planning, supervising, documenting, observing results, evaluating and readjusting projects in the Greenbelt.
  
• Assisting in grant writing.
  
• Working with outside agencies involved with Greenbelt projects (e.g., DF&G).
  
• Assisting with community education.
  

1. Potential for cost reduction via use of small wood (abatement size) for biomass fuels, firewood, etc., with the benefit to local sustainability goals.
   
   
2. Explore possible working relationships with University forestry students doing research projects.
   
   
3. Seek state and federal funding for water quality, watershed protection and fire fuels reduction.
   
   
4. Seek a source of District or Community funding for the care and protection of the Greenbelt watershed (i.e., source of the water supply).

IMPLEMENTATION

CONCLUSION

Many people assisted in the development of the Greenbelt Stewardship Plan. Some went above and beyond the call of duty.

Special thanks to CDF Captain Bill Baxter and Chief Mark Tolbert.

Thank you to Facilitator Brian Weller, who helped rebuild this community's belief in the process that developed this plan.

Finally, a salute to the members of the Ad Hoc Committee (and their families) for the many evenings given up to bring this plan to creation. Thank you Don Morris, Jerry Garvey and Wallace Stahle.

Mary Ziady
Director, Brooktrails Township Community Services District