Project Name: Day Fire Pre-commercial Thinning Project

NEPA Number: DOI-BLM-CA-N020-2026-0025-CE

Project Home | Documents | Timeline

Project Information

NEPA Number

DOI-BLM-CA-N020-2026-0025-CE
Project Name

Day Fire Pre-commercial Thinning Project
Project Type

CE
NEPA Status

Completed - Completed
Lead Office

Applegate Field Office
Last Updated

6/28/2026 5:00:00 PM

Project Description

In August of 2014, the Day fire burned over 13,000 acres of mostly private timberland with a small percentage impacting public lands managed by the Applegate Field Office northeast of the small community of Day, California. As such, the area was salvaged logged in the spring of 2015. Following salvage operations, the area was planted with approximately 78,000 (650 trees per acre) of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) seedlings using contract personnel in the spring of 2016.

As a result, the Proposed Action is to pre-commercial thin, a common forestry practice used to reduce stand density and release crop trees, 120 acres of ponderosa pine that were planted following the Day Fire in 2014 to reduce the overall density of trees per acre by approximately half. Work would be completed using hand crews to lop-and-scatter trees using chainsaws and the cut material would be left to decompose naturally. Work is anticipated to begin in the fall of 2026 and be completed by the winter of 2026.

"For NHPA Section 106 compliance purposes, Preliminary determination of no historic properties affected as defined in the 2019 State Protocol."

Project Location

City	State/Territory	Zip Code	County(ies)
McArthur	California	96056	Modoc

Application Information

Program

Forestry & Timber
Sub-Program

Thinning

Project Dates

Start Date

2/10/2026
Decision Date

5/28/2026

Project Office Information

Lead Office

Applegate Field Office
Offices

Applegate FO

Contacts

Contact 1 Name

Megan Banwarth
Contact 1 Email

[email protected]
Contact 1 Phone

(530) 279-2820