CAMBRIA FOREST COMMITTEE
October 2022 Minutes
NOT YET APPROVED
TO CONSERVE AND MANAGE THE NATIVE FOREST OF CAMBRIA
Meeting Minutes
October 14, 2022, 10:00 AM
Zoom.com Video Teleconference
- Crosby Swartz called the meeting to order at 10 am. A Quorum was established by attendance of Crosby and Laura Swartz, Julie Jorgensen, and Christine Heinrichs.
Karin Argano, Greenspace executive director, Cambria CSD board candidate Michael Thomas, Neil Havlik of California Native Plant Society, Keith Seydel, director of Rancho Marino Reserve, Greenspace board member Jeff Wilson, and Friends of Fiscalini Ranch Preserve executive director Kitty Connolly also attended.
- Public and Director Comments and Reports
Laura contacted Channing at Camp Ocean Pines regarding the tree seedlings planted. She will report next month.
Crosby reported that he and Laura were invited to tour Land Conservancy of SLO’s Santa Rita Ranch Preserve. The 1,700 acre-property, on Highway 46 east of Old Creek Road, is heavily forested. It is a wildlife corridor and important not to develop it. The Land Conservancy is evaluating ways to allow hiking. Chicken wire wrapped around the trunk can protect them.
3.0 Minutes of September Meeting were approved, pending inclusion of the project description.
4.0 Treasurer’s Report Laura reported the account balance at $1,036.15, including donations for directors’ insurance.
5.0 Sub-Committee Reports
5.1 Education/Planting/Mitigation/Operations
Comment Letter on Tribune Article about Forest Health: Neil has written a response to Mackenzie Shuman’s article in the Tribune. He will submit it for possible publication. Crosby has comments to send to her, in the interest of keeping her informed. She is on the agenda distribution list.
5.2 Forest Management
Discussion of Addition to Fern Canyon Preserve:
Crosby and Laura continue to work on getting the Cambria CSD board to approve accepting the Fern Canyon property so that it can be referred to The Land Conservancy of SLO for conservation easement. It is rich habitat that should have formal protection and management. The actual maintenance cost is minimal. The owner has agreed to donate the property. Keith reported that the Resource Conservation District proposes including Fern Canyon in the FRP plan.
6.0 Report from Fire Safe Focus Group:
Covell Ranch Project Activity and Site Visits
Fire Safe Council Business Manager Dan Turner reported that all are pleased with Unit 2 work. The project will move into working on Unit 3, down Bridge Street. Crosby reported that no local groups have been invited to site visits to review the work. Neil said the work west of Bridge Street looks like a tree farm. The work appears more extensive than the project description described.
Removing understory and healthy trees reduces the amount of CO2 the forest can sequester. It inhibits the forest’s ability to adapt to climate change by growing in response to climate conditions.
7.0 New Business
7.1 RCD Fire Prevention Grant – Cambria Projects
The RCD got a $3.4 million fire prevention grant, which included an additional $350,000 for forest management plans for different areas. They have not yet selected a Registered Professional Forester to write the Project Specific Analysis for Rancho Marino. Steve Auten was used before.
Keith invited Neil and others to tour Rancho Marino. Neil was impressed by its pristine quality and suggested it could serve as a reference natural area. Keith is seeking an opinion from Sarah Bisbing, who has studied the forest. He prefers to include an ecology perspective with that of an RPF. He said most of Rancho Marino will not be touched, that the WUI area near Randall Road and Camp Ocean Pines is the subject area.
Karina reported that she talked with Spencer Gordon of RCD about managing Strawberry Canyon. Greenspace is seeking the delicate balance of fire protection and protecting the pristine nature of the forest.
Julie reported that a USAA insurance crew evaluated her house as being in the lowest fire category. Evaluations take into account specific relevant facts about each property.
Hearst Ranch Project Planning, San Simeon Point and Pico Creek Stand:
This is the 400-acre Monterey Pine stand on Pico Creek Road.
8.0 Unfinished Business
8.1 Comment Letter on Los Padres NF Fuel Reduction Project:
Cambria Forest Committee signed on to the comment letter, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o3FyFD9tN053Z_lWhCkBESYZPvGhzJpyB88wvG-ym8U/edit. Crosby also submitted a letter approved by directors from the Forest Committee. Over 3,000 comments have been submitted.
9.0 Public and Director Comments and Reports
Karina invited all interested volunteers to join Greenspace in planting Monterey Pine seedlings on November 5-6. They will continue planting in the Washburn state park area, where about 3,000 trees have already been planted. The survival rate is high. State Parks employees will prepare the holes with an auger. FFRP will join the team. Laura has a planting stick the same shape as the cones, making planting more efficient. To sign up, email information to her through the website. https://greenspacecambria.org/
10.0 Future Agenda Items and Speakers
PG&E Fire Risk Reduction Measures
The meeting was Adjourned at 11:03 am.
Next Meeting November 11, 2022
