The Alder Springs project comprised 31,000 acres (1,000 to 5,500 feet elevation) in the Grindstone Ranger District of the Mendocino National Forest in California. The project area is steep and rugged country that is densely covered with brush (scrub oak, manzanita, and chaparal), pine, and mixed-conifer vegetation.

The central concerns in the project area included the risk of catastrophic fire resulting from extensive brush at lower elevations and high fuel loadings throughout the project area; wildland-urban interface (WUI) issues; and protection of threatened and endangered species’ habitat.

The analysis plan included the use of FVS, FARSITE, and FlamMap, and project participants included an interdisciplinary team of local forest and regional USFS personnel.