CAL FIRE has awarded two-point-one million dollars for what’s called the Woodpecker Ravine Shaded Fuel Break. It’s just southeast of Grass Valley and also parallel to the Ponderosa West Grass Valley Defense Zone. Nevada County OES Senior Analyst, Alex Keeble-Toll, says it’ll treat vegetation on 410 acres that’s considered to be within high and very high fire severity zones…

click to listen to Alex Keeble-Toll

Keeble-Toll says the county has also applied for 43-million dollars from a FEMA grant program. And they seek to utilize this grant as a local match for a portion of the project…

click to listen to Alex Keeble-Toll

CAL FIRE says this area’s terrain and land slopes affect its susceptibility to wildfire spread. It says there are 711 homes valued at over 168-million dollars and nearly 22-hundred homes are in the one-mile Project Influence Zone and valued at over 535-million dollars. In April, CAL FIRE also approved prevention grants worth 950-thousand dollars for more December storm vegetation removal work.