PRIVATE LANDOWNER ASSISTANCE

12.2 million acres of forestland in our state belong to private landowners, creating the need to increase access to technical and financial assistance to forestland owners for forest management planning, fuels reduction, prescribed fire, and forest recovery following wildfires. The Private Landowner Work Group was created to address a common framework and shared goals to expand forest management across non-industrial private forestlands and to support private landowners in wildfire resilience initiatives.


resources


Financial Assistanceprograms


California Forest Improvement Program (CFIP): CAL FIRE provides eligible private forest landowners with technical and cost-share financial assistance for planning, reforestation, and resource management. 

VISIT

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP): USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service provides eligible private forest landowners with cost share funding for a variety of forest improvement practices.

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Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP): USDA-Farm Service Agency helps private landowners restore forests damaged by natural disasters through cost-share payments.

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My Sierra Woods – A program of the American Forest Foundation, MSW provides technical and financial assistance for family forest landowners across Northern California.

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Conservation Assistance Through NRCS — 2023 Inflation Reduction Act Funding

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Technical Assistance & Resources


UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE): UCEE works collaboratively with California landowners to support responsible forest stewardship. 

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California Resource Conservation District (RCD): RCD’s partner with local communities, individuals, and others in planning, designing, permitting, monitoring, and grant application support for land management projects. 

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California Tree Farm Program
– a program that gives landowners the tools they need to be effective stewards of their forests

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Fire Safe Councils: Local organizations throughout California that educate homeowners about community wildfire preparedness activities while working with local fire officials to design and implement projects that increase the wildfire survivability of their communities. They are supported by the California Fire Safe Council (CFSC) which provides assistance to  community wildfire preparedness groups and maintains a Grant Clearinghouse.

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Education


The Forestland Steward Newsletter

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Forest Management Handbook for Small Parcel Landowners

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Forest Stewardship Workshops from UC Extension

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Guide to Planning and Permitting Fuel-Reduction Projects on Private Lands

Learn

Private Forest Landowner Assistance Workshops

View Recordings

Work Group Products


Report to the Task Force: Goals and Barriers to Managing Small Private Forestlands

Read the Report

The Private Landowner Assistance Work Group previewed the California Implementation Strategy to Improve Assistance to Small Private Owners.

WATCH

Work Group: Private Landowner Assistance


Partnering Organizations



Work Group leads


American Forest Foundation Taylor Timbals
Feather River Resource Conservation District  Michael Hall
El Dorado Resource Conservation District  Mark Egbert
Forest Landowners of California Claire McAdams
Mast Reforestation  Chantz Joyce
University of California Cooperative Extension
  Susie Kocher
University of California Cooperative Extension  Daylin Wade
U.S Forest Service  Dana Walsh
Water Board Griffin Perea

Stewart McMorrow, CAL FIRE

Chris Zimny, NRCS-CA


Work Group Facilitator

Sophia Lemmo, California Association of Resource Conservation Districts

CONNECT

Key Actions Assigned:

1.9 – 1.15