Town Hall to Detail Deer Creek Canyon Fuels Work

NEVADA CITY – A project to reduce wildfire fuels on the south side of Deer Creek Canyon is moving toward fieldwork, with about 174 acres of mechanical treatment planned and a public town hall set for Monday, October 26.

The meeting begins at 6 PM at the Miners Foundry Cultural Center, 325 Spring Street in Nevada City. City and county staff will explain the Deer Creek Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project’s treatment areas, methods, schedule, and environmental safeguards. Residents can ask questions and offer input, and staff will give a brief overview of other projects in the canyon.

The City of Nevada City describes the overall project as nearly 350 acres of public and private land in and around the southwestern part of the city. The area includes Deer Creek and Seven Hills Schools, the Saint Canice Center, the Nevada City Tech Center, the city’s wastewater treatment plant, homes, and businesses.

The city’s 2024 fire hazard assessment and treatment plan identifies access from Providence Mine Road, Ridge Road, Jordan Street, and Reward Street. The Tribute Trail crosses much of the northern portion of the project area.

According to the city’s October 19 announcement, the upcoming 174-acre phase will concentrate on larger, privately owned parcels in the western portion of the project area. Work is expected to begin in October and continue through February 2027, depending on weather and site conditions.

The project began with a $111,665 Sierra Nevada Conservancy planning grant that paid for a fire hazard assessment, a treatment prescription describing how vegetation would be managed, and environmental review. Nevada County’s Office of Emergency Services then partnered with the city to secure implementation funding through the United States Forest Service’s Tahoe National Forest.

The city documented its environmental review in a 2024 notice of exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act. The filing describes treatment areas with different methods and protections for biological and cultural resources. It establishes a 100-foot buffer along Deer Creek where vegetation treatment is excluded and calls for hand work in other designated watercourse protection zones.

The city and county have contracted for the 174-acre phase. Most of that work will use mastication: machinery that grinds or shreds smaller trees and brush into small pieces while retaining larger, healthy trees. It targets “ladder fuels,” vegetation that can carry fire from the ground into treetops. The treatment plan aims to reduce fire intensity and improve firefighters’ chances of controlling a blaze.

A registered professional forester will oversee the work to ensure crews follow the approved treatment prescription and environmental safeguards. The city says its fire fuels crew, funded through Measure C approved in 2024, will complete the rest of the project.

Nearby residents and visitors may see more forestry equipment and hear temporary noise. The treatment plan calls for daytime equipment operations where the noise would reach homes, schools, and other sensitive locations. It also requires notification to those locations within 1,500 feet of heavy-equipment work, including anticipated work dates, hours, and a project contact.

The October 26 town hall will offer residents a chance to discuss those details directly with city and county staff.