Monte Rio Redwoods Shaded Fuel Break

Overview

Spye General Engineering was hired by Sonoma County Regional Parks to implement a 27-acre shaded fuel break in the mountains south of the town of Monte Rio. The team’s six crew members spent eight weeks during late fall of 2023 working on steep terrain, thinning forest understory fuels, felling trees, and building nearly 1,200 burn piles with cut material. The crew then spent the winter of 2024 working closely with Sonoma County Regional Parks, CAL FIRE, North Sonoma County Fire, and the Monte Rio Fire Department to safely burn piles constructed during the fuel break work. This project represents the largest fuel break implemented by Sonoma County Regional Parks to date, and will serve as a control line from which future prescribed fire and other forest management activities can be implemented to improve forest health and better protect local communities.