Right-of-way maintenance involves managing designated strips of land that provide access to utility infrastructure, transportation corridors, and forestry operations. Maintaining these areas ensures safe and reliable access while preventing vegetation from interfering with roads, utilities, or other infrastructure.
Key right-of-way maintenance activities include:
In addition to vegetation management, road maintenance is essential for supporting forestry operations. This includes:
Proper right-of-way and road maintenance reduces fire hazards, prevents storm-related obstructions, and ensures safe and functional access for forestry, emergency services, and land management activities while adhering to California Forest Practice Rules (FPR) and Best Management Practices (BMPs).
Mastication of vegetation along a forest logging road.
Opening a roadway that was impassible due to storm blowdown.
Fire safety and mitigation are critical to protecting lives, property, and maintaining the health of forest ecosystems. Defensible space plays a key role in this effort by creating a buffer zone around structures to prevent fire from spreading. This includes thinning trees to increase canopy spacing, pruning to reduce vertical fuel ladders, and removing excess vegetation to break up ground-level fuels. These measures help protect homes and buildings from direct flame contact and radiant heat while also providing firefighters with safer areas to defend properties.
California law requires a 100-foot defensible space around homes in State Responsibility Areas (SRA), ensuring that flammable materials are cleared to slow wildfire spread and create a safer perimeter for firefighting efforts.
Shaded fuel breaks are another essential wildfire mitigation tool, particularly for large commercial and private forests. These strategically placed areas reduce vegetation density, slowing or redirecting wildfires by decreasing fire intensity and spread. Maintaining canopy cover in these zones helps regulate temperature and moisture, creating conditions that are less favorable for surface fires. Shaded fuel breaks also improve access for fire suppression efforts.
By implementing these wildfire mitigation strategies, Noyo Forestry is committed to enhancing fire safety in our communities and promoting the long-term health of our forests.
Removal of dead vegetation and trees, elimination of vertical fuel ladders, and creation of canopy spacing.
Biomass in forestry refers to organic material such as logs, branches, leaves, and non-merchantable woody debris. It accumulates naturally or as a byproduct of forest management activities, including timber harvesting, thinning, and restoration projects.
There are two primary approaches to managing biomass:
Both methods play a critical role in reducing fuel loads and lowering wildfire risk. Biomass reduction, in particular, has become an increasingly preferred solution for post-harvest operations, eliminating the need for burning slash piles while leaving the area visually appealing and ecologically beneficial.
Redwood slash created during timber harvest operations.
Redwood slash after mechanical treatment.
Storm cleanup involves removing and mitigating the effects of tree and vegetation damage caused by severe storms and natural disasters. High winds, heavy rain, and other extreme weather events can lead to tree blowdowns, uprooted trees, broken branches, and obstructed roads or trails in forested areas.
The process includes:
Storm cleanup often requires specialized equipment, including chainsaws, chippers, excavators, and grapple-equipped machinery, to safely and efficiently manage fallen trees and limbs. Timely cleanup efforts not only restore access but also help mitigate future hazards by stabilizing impacted areas and reducing fuel loads that could contribute to wildfire risk.
Storm blowdown on a pump shed prior to removal.
California state law requires that anyone cutting and removing commercial species for the purpose of selling logs or developing a building site on timberlands must be a Licensed Timber Operator (LTO). Additionally, landowners must obtain a Timber Harvest Plan (THP) from the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) before any cutting or removal can take place.
A THP is an environmental review document submitted by landowners to CAL FIRE, detailing:
THPs are prepared by Registered Professional Foresters (RPFs) and are subject to regulatory review to ensure compliance with California Forest Practice Rules.
Certain timber harvest activities may qualify for an exemption, allowing landowners to conduct limited harvesting under specific conditions. Common THP exemptions include:
Compliance with these regulations ensures responsible timber harvesting while protecting California’s forest resources.
Timber Harvest Plan - less than three acre conversion.
Starlink is becoming increasingly popular due to its fast speeds, ease of installation, and reasonably priced plans. However, for those living in areas with tall trees and dense canopies, achieving the necessary clearance for an unobstructed signal can be a challenge.
To ensure optimal Starlink performance, we offer:
These services provide a reliable, long-term solution for maintaining strong Starlink connectivity in forested areas.
Starlink installation in a Redwood tree.
NOYO FORESTRY, LLC
PO BOX 1414, FORT BRAGG, CA 95437
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