Public Feedback Needed On Forest SERAL 2.0 Project
Sonora, CA — The Stanislaus National Forest is seeking public input on the draft environmental impact statement for the Social and Ecological Resilience Across the Landscape (SERAL 2.0) project, which will expand the boundary along Highway 108.
The project area spans approximately 162,000 acres and includes 118,282 National Forest System lands. It aims to increase landscape resilience to disturbances such as wildfire, provide economic opportunities to local communities, reduce the spread of non-native vegetation, and reduce safety hazards across public lands. The forest will use prescribed fire, hand thinning, mastication, mechanical forest thinning, non-native invasive weed control, and limited salvage operations to meet these goals.
“SERAL 2.0 builds upon the tremendous collaborative planning and implementation of the first SERAL decisions, incorporating lessons learned and truly bringing us to a landscape scale. We have located and designed the proposed treatments to proactively reduce the wildfire risk to various communities, iconic recreation sites, and critical infrastructure, as well as improve habitat for myriad aquatic and terrestrial species,” said Forest Supervisor Jason Kuiken. “We value your input and have incorporated updates to the DEIS in response to the feedback we received during the scoping period.”
The Forest Service has added updates to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in response to feedback received during the scoping period, click here. Comments will be accepted for 45 days and must be received by 9 p.m. PT on Monday, April 1, 2024. Written comments may also be mailed to Stanislaus National Forest, Attn: SERAL 2.0, 19777 Greenley Road, Sonora, CA 95370.
