In January 2026, Sonoma County approved a $300,000 grant to PPI through the county’s Vegetation Management Grant Program, to create a shaded fuel break 100 feet on either side of the back road that connects our paved driveway to the upper end of  Muniz Ranch Road. This project will make emergency use of the PPI back road safer, and improve access for emergency vehicles enroute to Muniz Ranches and the wider Jenner coastal area. We plan to maintain the results of this shaded fuel break work so that the benefits can last for many years to come, as part of making our forested areas healthier and less vulnerable to catastrophic wildfires. 

Work commenced in May, and will be completed by the fall. The clearing is being done by a Cazadero-based company, Biswell Forestry, with local employees who are committed to providing quality work and who have a vested interest in keeping our community safe. Biswell’s expert crew mostly also have fire-fighter credentials, and are experienced in constructing the multiple burn piles created from the debris resulting from clearing – piles which will be burned later in the year with help from CalFire.

This grant award was made possible by many wonderful people in this county who tirelessly advocated for this project and put in many hours of work. We cannot thank Chief Ben Nichols (now with FireSafe Sonoma), CalFire Battalion Chief Marshall Turbeville and Kim Batchelder of Permit Sonoma enough for their continued support and also their care in seeing our community made safer. Courtney Gutman, Aldo Lopez, and Robert Aguero from Permit Sonoma also worked tirelessly on this project and offered valuable guidance.

North Coast Resource Management will be handling the Registered Professional Forester work and oversight/compliance.