MDF Projects
East Fork Deer Habitat Improvement, Siskiyou County, California
The area this project is being done in is some of the most beautiful and rugged country around. The East Fork is full of natural meadows; some are as large as 50-60 acres. Others are as small as 1 to 5 acres, but all are very important to deer habitat. Most of these natural meadows are being encroached by shrubs and small conifers due to fire suppression over many years. The objective of this plan is to create and maintain quality forage areas in summer range. This is also very important fawning area.
In 2003 the California Deer Association awarded the Scott River ranger District $4,500 to initiate the East Fork Deer Improvement project. In the fall of 2003, 203 acres of meadow habitat were enhanced (45 acres thinned).
In 2004 phase two was proposed, that would enhance 200 more acres. The Mule Deer Foundation awarded the Scott River Ranger District $6,000 to continue the Meadow habitat enhancement project. Two hundred more acres of affected meadow habitat in the East Fork area were thinned with chainsaws and hand tools, and then the small diameter conifers and shrubs were put into piles and will be burned after one year of curing. This was done with the assistance of fire crew personnel. Special thanks to Sam Cuenca for working so close with the Mule Deer Foundation and the Siskiyou Chapter MDF.
There is more work to be done, and the Siskiyou Chapter MDF has plans on working in this area as a project in accordance with the Scott River Ranger District and Sam Cuenca.