Skip to main content

Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District Completes Geyser Peak to Pocket Peak Fuel Break Project

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 29, 2025

The Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District recently completed the Geyser Peak to Pocket Peak Fuel Break Project. The fuel break is three miles long and ranges from 30 – 150 feet in width. Funding for this fuel break was provided by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Fire Prevention Program. 

The Geyser Peak to Pocket Peak Fuel Break is strategically located in the mountains east of Geyserville, along a ridgetop in one of the most wildfire prone areas of Sonoma County. The fuel break was designed to take advantage of existing fire roads and dozer lines constructed during both the 2017 Pocket Fire and the 2019 Kincade Fire. Hand crews and mechanized equipment (masticators) were used to break up the continuity of vegetation by removing small trees and shrubs. 

The purpose of a fuel break is to stop or slow a wildfire by reducing its rate of spread and intensity, while also increasing firefighter efficiency (specifically the use of aircraft and access for fire engines, hand crews, and bulldozers). Additional fuel breaks are planned to connect with the Geyser Peak to Pocket Peak Fuel Break, creating a network of fuel breaks. Implementing these fuel breaks will decrease the need for bulldozers to push over vegetation and disturb soil conditions during a wildfire.

Workers in green shirts use a wood chipper on a hillside with scenic views.
A scenic view of rolling hills with a dirt path, grasslands, dense trees, and distant mountains under a clear sky.
Hilly landscape with a dirt path winding through green forests and shrubs, with mountains in the background.
A dirt path winds along a ridge surrounded by green hills and trees under a clear blue sky.
Join our mailing list