Forest Service initiates public scoping for new SERAL project

SONORA, Calif. – The Stanislaus National Forest is initiating the Social and Ecological Resilience Across the Landscape, or SERAL, project, beginning with an initial public scoping period.

The forest developed the proposed action in cooperation with the Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions collaborative group, with a commitment to complete vegetation treatments that benefit the environment, the economy, and the community. The proposal includes the use of prescribed fire, hand thinning conifers, mastication, mechanical forest thinning treatments, non-native invasive weed control and limited salvage operations to achieve the project’s objectives to reduce wildfire risk and to improve forest health.

“SERAL is an exciting new approach to project planning and forest management that has been significantly enhanced by our collaboration with YSS,” said Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor Jason Kuiken. “The SERAL project significantly increases the scale of our planning efforts and incorporates new science, including forest plan amendments to apply new science-based management approaches and will utilize new tools that will enable forest management to adapt to changing conditions and allow implementation at a pace that will influence effective change on the landscape.”

The SERAL project surrounds approximately 117,000 acres located within the YSS collaborative area, south and east of the North Fork Stanislaus River and north and west of the Highway 108, with portions located on the Calaveras, Mi-Wok, and Summit Ranger Districts.

The forest is seeking feedback from the public in response to this new proposed project during this initial public scoping period. Information related to the proposed action and how to submit comments can be found on the project webpage at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=56500. Comments may be submitted electronically through https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public/commentInput?Project=56500. Written comments may also be submitted via mail to Stanislaus National Forest, Attn: SERAL, 19777 Greenley Road, Sonora, CA 95370.