Contractor for Hazard Fuel Reduction / Defensible Space

Tuolumne County is soliciting proposals from qualified vegetation management contractors to provide defensible space and hazardous vegetation removal services on private residential properties participating in the Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program.

Contractors will perform vegetation treatments in accordance with property-specific work plans prepared by the County's Project Manager to achieve compliance with California Public Resources Code Section 4291 (PRC 4291). Work will include the removal and disposal of hazardous vegetation, brush, and small trees, as specified in individual work orders, while maintaining safe work practices, protecting property improvements, and complying with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

There are 2,215 private, improved parcels in the project area. The grant estimated 1,290 parcels may be eligible for treatment. The County is currently collecting Right of Entry (ROE) permits from property owners in this project area. The exact number of parcels that will be treated under this RFP will depend upon the number of received and approved ROEs. Should the number of approved ROEs be greater than available grant funding, parcels will be prioritized based on strategic risk reducing locations, as well as homeowners with income, age and physical limitations.

All work performed on this project must be complete by July 31, 2028.

Tuolumne County has received competitive grant funding through the USDA Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) Program to reduce hazardous vegetation on private residential properties in high wildfire risk areas throughout the County. The program is designed to assist eligible homeowners in achieving defensible space compliance in accordance with California Public Resources Code Section 4291 (PRC 4291) by removing hazardous vegetation within 100 feet of homes and other major structures at no cost to participating property owners.

This project is part of a broader, countywide "all lands" wildfire resilience strategy and complements landscape-scale fuel reduction efforts being implemented by the County and the Stanislaus National Forest through the Social and Ecological Resilience Across the Landscape (SERAL) projects, as well as other wildfire mitigation initiatives led by Tuolumne County, the Tuolumne Fire Safe Council, Tuolumne County Resource Conservation District and other regional partners.