EDGEFIELD, SC—The National Wild Turkey Federation is excited to announce it has received substantial funding through California’s Wildlife Conservation Board to launch the Knopki Restoration Project within the Smith River National Recreation Area on the Six Rivers National Forest. This project aims to reduce hazardous fuels in high-risk areas, enhance habitat defensibility, accelerate the development of ideal habitats and restore ecological conditions for both terrestrial and aquatic species.
The project, covering approximately 1,510 acres in northwestern California, integrates two signed National Environmental Policy Acts: North Knopki and Knopki South. These areas, which include conifer plantations heavily logged during the 1950s-1960s, require significant restoration to improve forest structure and health. The California Wildlife Conservation Board has provided $835,600 for essential restoration activities, such as beargrass and white oak restoration, timber stand improvement and fuels reduction.
Work in the North Knopki project area will encompass a total of 749 acres of vegetation and fuels management activities, broken down as follows: 220 acres of thinning and fuels reduction, 18 acres of timber stand improvement, 313 acres of shaded fuelbreaks, 14 acres of beargrass improvement and 184 acres of hazard tree removal. Additionally, the project proposes designating a ½ mile trail as a National Forest System trail around Sanger Lake to ensure public access to this scenic area.
Work in the South Knopki project area will cover a total of 761 acres proposed for treatment, detailed as follows: 240 acres of commercial timber units, 406 acres of shaded fuelbreaks, 6 acres of white oak restoration and 109 acres of reburn within the 2017 Bear Fire footprint for beargrass rejuvenation.
Since the NEPA signing, the Humboldt Marten has been listed as a threatened species on the forest. As a result, reconsultations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are underway. Work on the Knopki Restoration Project is anticipated to begin later this fall or next spring.
The Knopki Restoration Project highlights the NWTF’s Four Shared Values in Action:
Clean Water
Located within the vital Smith River watershed, the project area supports diverse fish species, including coho salmon, chinook salmon, coastal cutthroat trout and resident rainbow trout. Active land management and hazardous fuels reduction will help protect these species from the impacts of wildfires, such as increased water temperature and sedimentation.
Healthy Forests and Wildlife Habitat
California’s wildlife is rapidly losing habitat due to the wildfire crisis. Hundreds of thousands of acres—and still counting—have been affected by wildfires in the last few years. The Knopki Restoration Project will help mitigate this crisis by thinning dense forests and creating fire-resilient landscapes, ensuring that wildlife habitats will be conserved and restored for the future.
“Acres of habitat are being destroyed at a pace land management agencies can’t keep up with,” said Krista Modlin, NWTF district biologist for California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. “It will take decades for a young mature forest to develop again. Therefore, habitat needs to be considered for both pre and post-fire landscapes. The areas that have not burned would need to be thinned, so that when a wildfire comes through, it will benefit the landscape. Dense, overstocked forests have no chance of surviving a wildfire. There is just too much fuel to carry the fire.”
Resilient Communities
The rural community of Gasquet, California, lies within the Smith River National Recreation Area. Home to about 600 people, the construction of strategic fuelbreaks can help defend the community, as well as their homes and property, from catastrophic wildfire.
The area also holds cultural significance for local Native American tribes, including the Smith River Rancheria and the Elk Valley Rancheria. These tribes inhabited the Smith River watershed for thousands of years and continue to use the land for traditional practices.
Robust Recreational Opportunities
The Smith River National Recreation Area attracts thousands of visitors annually for fishing, camping, hunting and hiking. Due to catastrophic wildfires, many National Forest lands have closed, often overlapping with deer and fall turkey hunting seasons. By managing the landscape, the Knopki Restoration Project ensures these recreational opportunities remain available and enjoyable for future generations.
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