Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Project

YMCA Camp Marston and Raintree Ranch needed a practical, phased approach to reduce wildfire risk around camp structures while supporting long-term forest health and resilience. The 52-acre project in San Diego County was funded through the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Regional Pilot Block Grant and focused on translating broad wildfire resilience goals into mapped treatment areas, site-specific prescriptions, environmental compliance documentation, and contractor-ready implementation materials. Trihydro provided Registered Professional Forester (RPF) services and multidisciplinary forest health planning support throughout the project.

Assessing Forest Conditions and Wildfire Risk

The project began with forest inventory, desktop review, field data collection, and treatment planning. Trihydro’s RPFs collected forest metrics including basal area, quadratic mean diameter, vegetation cover, species composition, and dead and dying tree locations. The assessment supported treatment planning within defensible-space areas surrounding habitable structures, including zones extending approximately 0 to 150 feet from structures that could be addressed under applicable CAL FIRE exemptions.

Treatment needs included:

• Forest and woodland thinning
• Oak mortality management
• Conifer release
• Hazard tree management
• Shrub reduction
• Defensible space
• Wildfire fuels reduction
• Biomass removal

Translating Forest Health Goals into Implementable Treatments

Trihydro developed treatment prescriptions and mapped individual treatment units to establish clear implementation priorities. Planned treatments included mechanical and manual thinning, pruning, chipping, biomass removal, arboricultural techniques near structures, and other vegetation management measures. The project goals included reducing tree density and basal area, improving forest structural diversity, reducing shrub dominance, supporting natural pine and oak regeneration, and improving wildfire resilience around camp facilities.

Environmental Compliance and Contractor Coordination

Moving a forest health project into implementation requires more than developing a treatment prescription. Trihydro supported the project through environmental review, agency coordination, permit and exemption documentation, biological and archaeological surveys, plan-set development, unit mapping, and contractor procurement. Trihydro also developed a bid package and Licensed Timber Operator contact list, solicited bid requests, and prepared materials needed to move planned treatments toward field implementation.

Supporting Community Wildfire Resilience

The project provided Camp Marston and Raintree Ranch with a framework for reducing wildfire risk around structures while supporting long-term forest recovery and maintenance. The planned work also has broader implications for community resilience. CAL FIRE identified the camp as a potential shelter-in-place location during future wildfire events, increasing the importance of maintaining a safer, more resilient landscape around the facility.