Skip to main content

Lake County Forest Health

County: Lake

Primary Resource Concern Addressed: 

  • Fire management - Wildfire hazard from biomass accumulation
  • Air quality emissions - Emissions of greenhouse gases

Project Description
The purpose of this implementation strategy is to improve forest health and reduce the risk of wildfire and create a more resilient landscape by treating non-industrial private forestlands (NIPF) in the North and South Warner Mountain range, and Thomas Creek Forest area using forest stand improvement, woody residue treatment, herbaceous weed control and critical area planting. This unique landscape contains extensive stands of old legacy ponderosa pine intermixed with aspen and meadows, with greater sage grouse focal habitat adjacent to the north and east. The landscape is at a severe risk of uncharacteristically intense disturbance due to heavy fuel loading and stand densities which would result in loss of old legacy ponderosa pine and greater sage grouse focal habitat.

Conservation Practices Offered

  • Forest Stand Improvement (666) 
  • Brush Management (314) 
  • Woody Residue Treatment (384) 
  • Fuel Break (383) 
  • Firebreak (394) 
  • Herbaceous Weed Treatment (315) 
  • Prescribed Burning (338) 
  • Critical Area Planting (342) 
  • Tree/Shrub Establishment (612)

Project Partners

  • Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF)
  • USDA Forest Service (FS)
  • Lake County Umbrellas Watershed Council
  • Klamath Lake Forest Health Partnership
  • NRCS Oregon
  • Private landowners

Application Questions
NRCS uses prioritization questions to evaluate applications for this initiative. See the list of workload prioritization questions on the Oregon EQIP page. Ranking questions below will also apply.

Ranking Questions

  1. What is the distance to National Forest lands that have been or will be treated for fuels reduction from the NIPF Project area for pre-commercial thinning?
  2. Will the project area have slash treatment of either piling and burning, or removal?
  3. For Thinning/Slash Treatment: Is there a current (created or updated within 10 years) forest management plan for the property?
  4. Will the project area have understory brush removed to reduce wildfire risk?