Erica Seward, Placer County parks administrator, provided an overview of the county’s Urban Forestry and Fuel Load Reduction program and said the county has allocated $850,000 in general funds for fuels work that staff expects to leverage for additional grant funding.

"This program focuses on managing vegetation across diverse landscapes ... to reduce wildfire risk, enhance ecological function, and maintain public safety," Seward said, noting the program will be led by a project manager while day‑to‑day operations are directed by parks operations staff.

Seward introduced Lauren Catlin as the new project manager. Catlin described ongoing and planned grant‑funded projects, saying the county has 53 acres of county‑owned land in the North Tahoe area covered by a California Tahoe Conservancy grant; 40 acres have been treated and the final 13 acres are planned for next summer. She listed other funded projects including a 25.5‑acre Forest Hill Transfer Station fuels‑reduction project funded by Placer OES and a 144‑acre Cabin Creek machine‑thinning project supported by CAL FIRE funding.

Mark Henry, parks operations supervisor, explained that the county has formed an in‑house fuels crew of five, is bringing on a certified arborist supervisor from state service, and obtained a burn permit to begin controlled burn piles next week. "We have plenty of fuel that's ready to go," Henry said, adding staff are training the crew and certifying operators.

Commissioners asked where removed wood is taken. Catlin said most removed material has been going to Cabin Creek and that much of it is non‑merchantable and would require additional permitting to be sold commercially.