Moody / El Monte Roads Evacuation Route Project

Project site:

The length of the project is approximate and will be split in to two phases that encompass the following streets:

Phase 1:

1. Moody Road – 2.8 linear miles, which equates to 5.6 mile when accounting for treatment on both sides of the road.
2. Tepa Way – 0.2 linear mile, which equates to 0.4 miles when accounting for treatment on both sides of the road.
3. Summit Woods Road – 0.4 linear miles, which equates to 0.8 mile when accounting for treatment on both sides of the road.
4. La Loma Drive – 0.3 linear miles. Which equates to 0.6 miles when accounting for treatment on both sides of the road.
5. Prospect Avenue – 0.4 linear miles. Which equates to 0.8 miles when accounting for treatment on both sides of the road.
6. Stonebrook Drive – 0.4 linear miles. Which equates to 0.8 miles when accounting for treatment on both sides of the road.
7. El Monte Road – 0.6 linear miles. Which equates to 1.2 miles when accounting for treatment on both sides of the road.

Phase 2:

1. El Monte Road – 0.5 linear miles. Which equates to 1 mile when accounting for treatment on both sides of the road.
2. I280 Cloverleaf at El Monte Road – 2.1 linear miles. Which equates to 4.2 miles when accounting for treatment on both sides of the road.

Project Details and Goals:

Roadside work will be performed in the public right of way to reduce the amount of hazardous or flammable vegetation. Depending on property owner participation as outlined above, up to 50-feet from the centerline of the road will be cleaned up and trimmed, but not cleared. This refers to removal of leaf litter, brush, and lower limbs of trees (“ladder fuels”). Dead or down trees may be removed after individual assessment. The result will be a roadside buffer with reduced flammable types of vegetation. Tall shade trees known as “overstory trees” will remain to provide shade and keep the area cool, which helps prevent fire from spreading quickly. Hazardous trees that are leaning or could fall into the roadway will be assessed for removal.

The immediate goal of this project is to make the roadway a safer evacuation route in an emergency or wildfire. The broader goals are to enhance fire resiliency by reducing ladder fuels and invasive plant species, and to improve roadside hardening along evacuation routes, which are significant benefits to the community and make District residents safer. This project enhances regional efforts to improve Santa Clara County’s evacuation route and shaded fuel break system. It also provides opportunities to protect or manage watersheds from future wildfires. Additionally, by reducing competition for light and water in the understory plants, shrubs, and young trees, and by treating hazardous trees when feasible, this creates a healthier forest and woodland for the benefit of the environment.

We look forward to working with you to improve community emergency and wildfire safety.

How you can participate in the project (Please select an option):

1. Voluntarily grant SCCFSC access to your property for removal of hazardous vegetation.

You can provide directions to SCCFSC on what portion of your property may be accessed for vegetation removal that is beyond the right-of-way but not more than 50-ft from the road’s centerline. For example, if you have specific trees or vegetation you wish to omit from the vegetation removal, we can flag them with pink flagging to avoid cutting or trimming.

If you choose to grant access, please complete, sign, and submit the enclosed Right of Entry Permit (ROE) by May 23, 2025, using one of the methods below.

Submission Instructions – Ways to confirm your participation:

Participation is voluntary; please follow the steps below to join this project.

• Fill out, sign, and submit the enclosed Right of Entry Permit (ROE)
  • Complete, sign, and mail the paper copy of the ROE, using the self-addressed, stamped envelope, also enclosed to:
    Santa Clara County FireSafe Council
    Attn: Moody – El Monte Road Evacuation Route
    14380 Saratoga Avenue
    Saratoga, CA 95070-5953

OR

• • Sign and scan the ROE and email to Barbara Gonzalez at bgonzalez@sccfiresafe.org

OR

• • Download an electronic copy of the ROE, sign via certified electronic signature, which includes time and date stamp, and return via email to bgonzalez@sccfiresafe.org

If you request, a representative will be available to meet with you at a mutually convenient time to identify and explain the removal of the brush, grasses, tree limbs, and vegetation hazards on your property.

You will be notified when project work will begin in the vicinity of your property.

Check www.lahcfd.org for Project description and updates.

2. As a property owner, cut, trim, and remove your own hazardous vegetation to create defensible space on your property. If you stack the cut brush along the roadside, it can be chipped and removed if you register for the LAHCFD Defensible Space Brush Chipping and Debris Removal Program. Register at www.LAHCFD.org/dsbcregistration.

3.  Take no action. Vegetation will be treated and removed only from the roadside public right-of-way. Width and area of the right-of-way may vary based on applicable agency permits.

If you choose option 1 to participate in the project, a representative can meet with you, at your request, to discuss the specific work to be conducted on your property.

To review project details specific to your property, please contact:

Barbara Gonzalez
SCCFSC Project Manager
bgonzalez@sccfiresafe.org
(408) 444-0711

Andrew Harmon
LAHCFD Field Manager
aharmon@lahcfd.org
(757) 409-0042