Action Plan

Hazardous Fuel Reduction in Pescadero Canyon, Carmel-by-the-Sea

Phase Alpha: Immediate Clearance of Carmel-by-the-Sea City Parcels in Pescadero Canyon

• Immediate hazardous fuel reduction within the six Carmel-by-the-Sea-owned parcels located along the eastern perimeter of Pescadero Canyon between Camino Real and Casanova Street, as identified in the attached map and Fire Defense Plan.

• Focus exclusively on the removal and reduction of overgrown weeds, grasses, ivy, ladder fuels, and other hazardous vegetation within these city parcel boundaries in Pescadero Canyon.

• Fuel mitigation methods may include targeted goat grazing, hand crews, mechanical trimming, or other approved vegetation management techniques.

• Utilize the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea’s currently budgeted $150,000 hazardous fuel reduction line item for the current fiscal year to fund this immediate work.

• Prioritize rapid implementation on the east rim of the canyon to establish defensible space protections for homes bordering 2nd Avenue and adjacent canyon edges.

• This Phase 1 effort is limited solely to Pescadero Canyon fuel mitigation activities within the six city-owned parcels and does not include unrelated city projects, parks, or broader vegetation programs.

• The effort aligns with Sections 8 and 9 of the City’s 2025/2026 Defensible Space Priorities and associated Fire Defense Plan mapping for Pescadero Canyon.
  
  

Phase Bravo: Coordinated Multi-Agency Pescadero Canyon Fuel Reduction

• Expand hazardous fuel reduction efforts beyond the six Carmel-by-the-Sea parcels into adjacent canyon properties owned or managed by:

  • Pebble Beach Community Services District (PBCSD)

  • Del Monte Forest Conservancy (DMFC)

  • California American Water (Cal-Am)

  • Additional cooperating canyon landowners and agencies

• Coordinate future fuel reduction zones so that completed and planned clearance projects connect continuously throughout Pescadero Canyon, reducing wildfire spread potential across jurisdictional boundaries.

• Support ongoing collaboration between the Carmel-by-the-Sea Fire Department and the Del Monte Forest Conservancy to establish mutually agreed-upon goals, objectives, and treatment boundaries, including potential clearance beyond the currently highlighted purple-shaded areas on the project map.

• Encourage cooperative planning with PBCSD and CAL FIRE to integrate existing and future canyon fuel mitigation projects into a unified wildfire defense strategy.

• Recognize that portions of the proposed treatment area fall under multiple ownership jurisdictions, requiring collaboration and coordination rather than unilateral action.

• Emphasize that the immediate priority remains the prompt clearance of the six Carmel-by-the-Sea-owned parcels without delay while broader interagency agreements continue to develop.

• Reference the attached Fire Defense Plan Appendix H map showing proposed Pescadero Canyon fuels reduction zones, fire roads, roadside clearance areas, and overlapping jurisdictional ownership.

Phase 1 covers the purple-hatched area east of the black dotted line for lot 205, CBTS Parcels, lot 235, and CBTS Parcel.

Complete Carmel-by-the-Sea Fire Defense Plan
Appendix H: Pescadero Canyon