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Planning and Building Department, Planning Division, recommending the Board approve and authorize the Chair to sign a letter to the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection appointing Karen L. Garner, Director of the Planning and Building Department, as El Dorado County's primary authorized designee and Robert Peters, Deputy Director of Planning, as El Dorado County's secondary authorized designee to review Timberland Conversion Permits (or equivalent) and Less Than 3 Acre Conversion Exemptions.
FUNDING: There is no funding associated with this action.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The conversion of timberland to a use other than growing timber requires, prior to conversion, a Timberland Conversion Permit or, if eligible, a Less than 3 Acre Conversion Exemption from CAL FIRE. The County's authorized designee is provided notification by CAL FIRE whenever such a permit or exemption is requested, thereby giving the County the opportunity to determine if the request is in conformance with County regulatory requirements.
Traditionally, Timberland Conversion Permits and Less Than 3 Acre Conversion Exemptions have been reviewed by the Planning Division for compliance with local regulations. Although this had not been a formalized process in the past, the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection sent the County a letter dated August 23, 2017 requesting the County formally appoint an authorized designee in order to improve the communication between the RPFs, local jurisdictions, CAL FIRE, and the State Board of Forestry (Attachment A).
On May 19, 2020, Legistar File 20-0586, the Board authorized the Chair to sign a letter to the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection appointing Tiffany Schmid, Director of Planning and Building, as El Dorado County’s primary designee and Robert Peters, Deputy Director of Planning, as El Dorado County’s authorized secondary designee to review Timberland Conversion Permits (or equivalent) and Less Than...
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