The Needham HFRP - Phase II aims to scale up wildfire prevention activities through a 1,022 acre hazardous fuels reduction project located in western Glenn County, California. Glenn County is in the heart of the Sacramento Valley which is about an hour and a half drive from Sacramento north on Interstate 5; the Coast Range mountains and Mendocino National Forest can be found on the westside and the Sacramento River on the eastside of the county. Main thoroughfares include Interstate 5 which runs north and south and Highway 162 which runs west and east. This Project is positioned south and east of the unincorporated area of Elk Creek and near the wildland urban interface (WUI) communities of Elk Creek, Fruto, and Stonyford (Colusa County); the communities in this area are identified as a low-income community by the California Air Resources Board's Community Investments census tract. The Project area is comprised of lands in both the Federal Responsibility Ares (FRA) and State Responsibility Area (SRA). The number of habitable structures within the project vicinity is approximately 559.

To ensure this Project achieves CAL FIRE’s Wildfire Prevention Grants Program goals and objectives, it has been carefully designed to treat 1,022 acres of hazardous fuels on private lands as well as Bureau of Reclamation land (FRA). The hazardous fuels are primarily chamise brush within rolling oak woodlands. Treatment prescriptions include mechanical thinning / mastication and herbicide application while ensuring environmental compliance. Through development of the Project, community input and support was provided by many landowners, local organizations, and local, state and federal government agencies.

As supported by the California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan, Glenn County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), Glenn County’s Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan, and CAL FIRE’s Tehama Glenn Unit Fire Plan, wildfire prevention and hazardous fuels reduction projects are a priority. Implementing this Project will achieve these priorities through vegetation clearance on top of ridges and other natural boundaries to reduce wildfire intensity and rate of spread. This Project will tie in several Hazardous Fuel Reduction projects, creating a continuous fuel break 13-miles in length. Starting from the Stony Gorge Reservoir (Stony Gorge Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project-CAL FIRE 5GG20127) to 3-miles north of the Glenn/Colusa County Line (Needham Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project-CAL FIRE 5GA22216). In addition, this Project will help reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions in the long term through proactive wildfire prevention activities vs. suppression activities.

In summary, the Needham HFRP - Phase II will help scale up the wildfire prevention activities needed in California through a 1,022 acre hazardous fuels reduction project, help protect the WUI threated communities of Elk Creek, Fruto, and Stonyford (Colusa County), and focus on increasing the protection of people, structures, and communities with an emphasis on improving public health and safety, all while reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions in the long term. To highlight, this Project will tie in several Hazardous Fuel Reduction projects, creating a continuous fuel break 13-miles in length.