Recap: Dashboard Virtual Workshop

On Tuesday, November 14 the Task Force hosted a Virtual Public Workshop on the CA Wildfire & Landscape Resilience Interagency Treatment Dashboard. The goal of the workshop was to gather input from those using the Treatment Tracking System and Dashboard to improve how data is accessed and displayed, and to ensure we are providing transparency and effective planning information on statewide wildfire resilience treatments. 

If you missed the workshop, or want to look back at what was covered, click on the buttons above to watch a video of the presentation from Alan Telhelm, Assistant Deputy Director for Climate and Energy at CAL FIRE, and a key architect of the Dashboard. You can also view and download Alan’s presentation and take a moment to answer a quick survey (available soon) for gathering additional  input on how the Dashboard can be most effective.


Northern California Regional Meeting Event

Welcome To The

Northern California

Regional Meeting



8:30 AM – Resource Fair & Check-In

10:00 AM – Welcome

10:10 AM – Opening Remarks

10:40 AM – Director’s Report

10:55 AM – Northern California’s Landscapes

12:30 PM – Lunch

1:30 PM – Scaling Up Landscape Restoration and Community Protection

3:00 PM – Forest Sector Workforce Needs & Opportunities

4:15 PM – Closing Remarks

5:00 – 7 PM – Complimentary Reception

Questions? Please contact:

foresttaskforce@fire.ca.gov


Thank You to our Hosts



Thank You to our Sponsors


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California Launches Online Tool to Track Wildfire Resilience Projects

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California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force Logo
Logo of the United States Forest Service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

August 29, 2023 

California Launches Online Tool to Track Wildfire Resilience Projects

New beta statewide tracking system brings local, state, and federal wildfire resiliency projects into one place to reflect significant progress.

(Sacramento, CA) – Today, the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force (Task Force) launched the beta version of a first-of-its-kind Interagency Treatment Dashboard that displays the size and location of state and federal forest and landscape resilience projects in California.

The dashboard offers a one-stop-shop to access data, provide transparency, and align the efforts of more than a dozen agencies to build resilient landscapes and communities in California. It reports treatment activities such as prescribed fire, targeted grazing, uneven-aged timber harvest, mechanical and hand fuels reduction, and tree planting. Users can sort treatments by region, county, land ownership and more.

“Thanks to historic funding from our Legislature and Governor Newsom, over 1,000 wildfire resilience projects are in motion across the state to protect communities and our diverse landscapes from catastrophic wildfire,” said California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot, co-chair of the Task Force. “Now we can track our progress like never before through this public Interagency Dashboard. It identifies where projects are happening, what kind of work is happening in a given location, and how much overall resilience work is being done. It’s one more step forward in building a comprehensive, durable approach to increasing our wildfire resilience in years to come.”

“This dashboard delivers a new tool for collaboration among agencies and communities,” said U.S. Forest Service Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien, who co-chairs the Task Force with Secretary Crowfoot. “Having access to treatment information in this format will allow us to coordinate landscape scale activities aimed at restoring and enhancing ecosystem resilience.”

The dashboard compiles data from a broad range of organizations and government departments—many of which have different reporting requirements guiding how they capture information. While individual reporting tools and data will sometimes differ from this statewide snapshot, the dashboard brings these different reporting approaches together as a single and streamlined reporting tool. Key differences are addressed in the dashboard website FAQs .

“It takes everyone to create a more wildfire resilient California and this dashboard reflects the strides being made to get us there,” said CAL FIRE Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler. “This dashboard shows how far we’ve come, the significant efforts underway, and our firm commitment to future work. As our many partners share data and outcomes to a central place, the mission of protecting communities and natural resources will remain the common thread driving our work. This new tool will also provide first responders a snapshot of where treatment has occurred to help inform fire suppression efforts.”

The dashboard is an important step to increase the pace and scale of statewide actions addressing California’s wildfire crisis and is a key deliverable of the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan , issued by the Task Force in January 2021.
The beta version of the dashboard will continue to be refined to include additional data, including projects by local and tribal entities, along with revisions based on public feedback. An official launch is expected in spring 2024 with more complete data on projects implemented in 2022
.

 

Contact Information: 

 

Sky Biblin, Communications Coordinator 

Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force 

sky.biblin@resources.ca.gov 

916-502-6527 

 

Albert Lundeen, Director of Media Relations 

California Natural Resources Agency 

albert.lundeen@resources.ca.gov 

916-606-3990 

 

D’Artanyan Ratley, Public Affairs Specialist 

USDA Forest Service 

d’artanyan.ratley@usda.gov 


CAL FIRE conducts advanced live fire training in Williams, California.

Prescribed Fire Liability Claims Fund Pilot

Prescribed Fire

Liability Claims Fund Pilot


The Need

One of the primary obstacles to increasing the use of prescribed and cultural fires in California is the difficulty of obtaining adequate liability coverage. While escape rates are very low, there is always some risk when working with fire. Liability coverage protects qualified practitioners, property owners, and the public from the associated financial risk. However, many practitioners on private or tribal land are unable to obtain affordable private insurance for beneficial fire operations.

The Legislation

In September 2022 Governor Newsom signed into law SB 926, which established a pilot Prescribed Fire Claims Fund. This legislation authorizes claims covering certain losses arising from prescribed fires and cultural burning until January 1, 2028. This claims fund is intended to both encourage increased beneficial fire use and demonstrate that prescribed and cultural burning is low risk, to entice private insurers back into the market.

The Fund

Administered by CAL FIRE, the $20 million allocated for the Prescribed Fire Liability Claims Fund Pilot will cover losses in the rare instance that a prescribed or cultural burn escapes control, providing up to $2 million in coverage for prescribed fire projects led by a qualified burn boss or cultural practitioner. The fund is meant to demonstrate that carefully planned, resourced, and implemented beneficial fire is a low-risk land management tool to mitigate high-severity wildfires and promote healthy and resilient landscapes.

To Enroll

Enrollment in the Fund is done by completing the California Prescribed Fire Claims Fund Online Application. To be eligible to enroll in the Fund, a prescribed fire must be conducted or supervised by a Burn Boss or a Cultural Fire Practitioner for a Cultural Burn.

> APPLICATION

Questions

CAL FIRE offers a detailed set of Frequently Asked Questions, covering everything from enrollment, application approval, claims submissions, coverage limits and much more.

> GUIDELINES/FAQ’s

RESOURCES


Forestry and Fire Protection Report Cover
Read the Guidelines & FAQ

Interview with Lenya Quinnn-Davidson on the Prescribed Fire Claims Fund


Read the Press Release

California Takes a Big Step to Help Insure Private Companies That Fight Fire With Fire

Read the Article in LAist

Bridge on Coast Line in Big Sur

Central Coast Regional Meeting

Central Coast Regional Meeting (May 11 & 12, 2023) Header

Registration for in-person attendance is now closed.

Central Coast Regional Meeting


Join us in person at The Cocoanut Grove on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk or remotely via Zoom. Hosted by the California State Coastal Conservancy and San Mateo Resource Conservation District, discussions will focus on the unique landscapes and land management issues of California’s Central Coast. The meeting will open with a Resource Fair to showcase local organizations at work in the Central Coast region. Field tours will be offered on May 12. We look forward to connecting, committing to action, and collaborating on real solutions to the daunting challenges facing our landscapes and communities.

MAY 11 & 12
The Cocoanut Grove
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
400 Beach Street
Santa Cruz, CA

Event schedule - May 11

8:30-10:00 a.m. Resource Fair

10 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Morning Session

12:15-1:30 p.m. Lunch

1:30-4:30 p.m. Afternoon Session

4:30-6:00 p.m. Reception

Santa Cruz Boardwalk at Sunset

Free parking available in the main parking lot. Keep your ticket for validation.


field tours


FIELD TOURS WILL BE OFFERED ON MAY 12th

San Vicente Redwoods: Demonstrating Compatibility of Forest Resiliency and Public Access

Destination: San Vicente Redwoods, a privately held property demonstrating the compatibility of forest resiliency, conservation, sustainable timber harvest, and public access. This unique property is managed by a collective of four land trusts: Peninsula Open Space Trust, Sempervirens Fund, Save the Redwoods League, and the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County. All of this nearly 9,000-acre site burned in the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire. On this field trip, we’ll see the efficacy of a prescribed burn conducted just months before the 2020 wildfire and we’ll visit a temporary biomass processing site and discuss the opportunities and challenges of processing forest residue onsite. Pending weather and site conditions, we hope to demonstrate the use of air curtain burners, a carbonator, and a pile burn side by side. After the 9 am – 11 am tour, stay for a networking lunch hour (cold drinks and light snacks provided) with attendees of the Together Bay Area Conference Field trip participants are encouraged to also attend the subsequent 12-2 p.m. field trip with Together Bay Area.

Start/End Time: 9am – 11pm (with option to 2pm)

Location:  VIEW MAP > 

Accessibility: Small section that meets outdoor accessibility guidelines, majority of tour along moderate difficulty trails.

Fall Creek Truck Trail Forest Health Project: Ladder Fuels Reduction Promotes Biodiversity and Resilience

Destination: Fall Creek Unit of Henry Cowell State Park, the focus of a 62-acre CAL FIRE Forest Health project. This primarily second-growth redwood and mixed conifer forest was nearly all burned at low to moderate severity during the 2020 CZU Fire and was used heavily by fire personnel during the event. The Forest Health project includes removal of dense ladder fuels and dead trees with the goal of lowering stand density and promoting greater biodiversity and resilience. This project showcases a great partnership between the RCD of Santa Cruz County, California State Parks and CAL FIRE.

Start/End Time: 2pm – 4:30pm

Location: VIEW MAP >  Meet at Trininty Bible parking lot at the bottom of El Solyo Heights Road in Felton (7301 Hwy 9, Felton, CA 95018)

Accessibility: No ADA access or restrooms. Personal protective equipment may be required.

Quarry Park Fuel Reduction/Community Protection: Community Engagement and Protection in the WUI

Destination: Quarry Park, just north of Half Moon Bay, is a focal point of significant community interest regarding management of fuel loads, particularly eucalyptus, in the Wildland Urban Interface. Learn how San Mateo Resource Conservation District and partners, including county parks and local fire agencies, brought fire science and deep listening to community engagement. We will tour a shaded fuel break project on site while discussing how projects are informed by fire modeling and permit strategies, and how biomass management and winter storm response affect their implementation.

Start/End Time: 10am – 12pm

Location:  VIEW MAP > 

Accessibility: Walking tour. Personal protective equipment may be required. Limited parking, please carpool.

Forest Health Work in the Butano Watershed: Envisioning Forest Health as a Process, Not a Project, in the Pescadero-Butano Watershed

Destination: The State’s first completed California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP) project, also the first project approved by the California Coastal Commission to use a Public Works Plan as a novel approach to permitting in the Coastal Zone. We will visit two sites in southern San Mateo County impacted by the August 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fires: Butano State Park and Girl Scouts of Northern California’s Camp Butano. Over 2,100 acres will be treated to improve the health and resilience of the forest. Discussion will include recovery from fire, prescribed burns and fuels treatments, and permitting for long-term management.

Start/End Time: 10am – 2pm

Location:  VIEW MAP > 

Accessibility: Two vehicle stops with short walking tour from each.

Big Basin State Park Post-Fire Recovery: Reimagining Big Basin

Destination: The headquarters area of Big Basin State Park. The tour will highlight the recovery efforts that have been made to reopen the park following the CZU Lightning Complex incident. We will also be discussing the “Reimagining Big Basin” process that seeks to create a more equitable and resilient park. The tour will include a short walk-through old growth redwood forest that experienced high severity fire and give participants an opportunity to discuss State Park’s development of a forest management strategy for Big Basin and its neighboring parks.

Start/End Time: 9am – 12pm

Location:  VIEW MAP > 

Accessibility: Short walk through old growth redwood on accessible path.

Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority: Efforts of the Only Publicly Funded Wildfire Prevention Authority in the U.S. 

Destination: Showcased projects of the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA), the only publicly funded wildfire prevention authority in the U.S. The tour will highlight local collaborative programs led by MWPA including vegetation management, a countywide chipper program, defensible space evaluations/creation, evacuation planning, and route clearing. We will discuss the MWPA’s use of and reliance and the CalVTP and MWPA’s support of the recently launched Fire Foundry Program, an innovative workforce development program aimed at achieving equity in the fire and civic service and providing pathways to sustainable wage careers. Participants will meet at the MWPA office in San Rafael, the MWPA will provide vans to shuttle participants to each tour site.

Start/End Time: 11am – 3pm

Location:  VIEW MAP > 

MWPA Office: 1600 Los Gamos Drive, Suite 345, San Rafael

 

Accessibility: Some walking on uneven unpaved paths/trails; parts are fully accessible. Driving tour to sites with short walks at each.

Webster Project – San Luis Obispo County: a CAL FIRE Governor’s Priority Project

Destination: “The Webster Project” – one of CAL FIRE’s 2019 Governor’s priority projects – covering 1,200 acres of chapparal habitat in rural north county San Luis Obispo. The goal of this project was to reduce hazard fuel loading and mimic natural fire using prescribed fire. The tour will highlight the treatment of crushing chamise brush followed with prescribed fire to consume 10-hour dead fuels. Treatments are aimed at creating a diversity of resilient vegetation types while creating a safety zone and anchor point for firefighting efforts in the event of a wildfire.

Start/End Time: 1pm – 3pm

Location:  VIEW MAP > 

Accessibility: Will Meet at CAL FIRE Creston Fire Station, load into van, drive to project site- 15 minutes. Mostly driving tour with small walk out to burn units (100 feet from vehicle), No ADA.

Santa Lucia Conservancy: Balancing the Protection of Life, Property, and Biodiversity with Long-term Ecosystem Resilience

Destination: The Santa Lucia Preserve. The Santa Lucia Conservancy’s vision for fire and fuels management on The Preserve is one that harmoniously balances the protection of life, property, and biodiversity with long-term ecosystem resilience. This strategy includes shaded fuel breaks, prescribed burns, conservation grazing, invasive plant removal, a Preserve-wide fuel management plan, and lot-specific fuel management plans for individual homeowners. Join the Santa Lucia Conservancy and collaborating partners for a driving tour of The Preserve to learn more about how we collaborate with fire agencies, land management organizations, landowners, and our neighbors to implement these fire safety tools.

Start/End Time: 9am – 12:30pm

Location:  VIEW MAP > 

Accessibility: This is a driving tour.

Swanton Pacific Ranch and Big Creek Lumber Sawmill: Witnessing and Learning From the Effects of the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex

Destination: Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch. The tour will focus on post fire redwood and Douglas fir forest management and restoration funded by CAL FIRE Forest Health program and guided by the property’s long term Non-Industrial Timber Management Plan. In August 2020, the CZU Lightning Complex Fire impacted Cal Poly’s School Forest, which has long been a hub of student learning, research, and demonstration of sustainable timber management practices. The fire, along with CAL FIRE’s funding support, has presented us with some unique opportunities to demonstrate fuels reduction and restoration and ways to experiment with preparing the forest for the predicted consequences of climate change. We are also experimenting with various methods of biomass removal, replanting, and redwood canopy retention while training a workforce on methods to increase the pace and scale of fuels management and vegetation treatment. Break for lunch, and then reconvene down the road for a tour of the Big Creek Lumber Sawmill. We’ll see the mill in operation and discuss the effects of fire on merchantable timber, as well as the effects of the CZU fire on Big Creek property, and the recovery work they are doing post-fire.

Start/End Time: 10am – 2pm

Location: VIEW MAP > 

Accessibility: Attendees will meet at a central location and carpool to tour location a short drive away.

Glenwood Open Space Preserve: demonstrating multiple benefits of a conservation grazing program

Destination: Glenwood Open Space Preserve. Join the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County for a tour of this beautiful preserve in Scotts Valley, just a few minutes off of Highway 17 on the way out of Santa Cruz. The Glenwood Open Space Preserve is home to a high number of rare and endangered species, including the Ohlone tiger beetle, Opler’s longhorn moth, and the Scotts Valley spineflower. This tour will show off the beautiful spring wildflowers in bloom and highlight how we manage fuels along the wildland-urban interface while preserving the endangered species through conservation grazing, among other methods.

Start/End Time: 1pm – 3pm

Location: VIEW MAP > 


Recommended Accommodations


Courtyard by Marriott Building

Courtyard by Marriott Santa Cruz

313 Riverside Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831)419-8700

RESERVE

Paradox building

Hotel Paradox, Autograph Collection

611 Ocean Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 425-5590

RESERVE

Hyatt Place Santa Cruz

Hyatt Place Santa Cruz

407 Broadway
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 226-2300


RESERVE

Best Western Plus Building

Best Western Plus

500 Ocean Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 458-9898

RESERVE

Questions? Please contact:

foresttaskforce@fire.ca.gov


Thank You to our Sponsors


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Cover for Central California Regional Meeting (May 11 & 12, 2023)

Central California Regional Meeting Event

Cover for Central California Regional Meeting (May 11 & 12, 2023)

Welcome To

The Central California

Regional Meeting

Event schedule

8:30 – 10:00 a.m. Resource Fair

10 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Morning Session

12:15 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch

1:30 – 3:15 p.m. Afternoon Session

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Small Group Discussion

4:30 – 6:00 p.m. Reception


agenda


8:30 AM Resource Fair & Check-In

10:00 AM 1. Welcome

10:30 AM 2. Opening Remarks

10:50 AM 3. Director’s Report

• Central Coast Accomplishments & Updates

11:05 AM 4. The Central Coast MosaicRegional Resource Kits

12:30 PM Lunch – Resource Fair Open

1:30 P.M 5. From Local Collaboration to Regional Action

• Organizing for Impact and Adapting to Changing Conditions

• Navigating Complex Regulatory Requirements

2:50 PM Group Activity

3:05 PM 6. Moving Towards a Regional Investment Strategy

3:50 PM 7. Keynote Presentation

• Senator John Laird, CA 17th District

4:15 PM Closing Remarks

4:30 PM Complimentary Reception

Questions? Please contact:

foresttaskforce@fire.ca.gov


Thank You to our Sponsors


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San Mateo Resource Conservation District Logo


Vibrant Planet Logo
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Spatial Informatics Group Logo

Prescribed Fire Monitoring and Reporting

Prescribed Fire Monitoring and Reporting


Department: California Air Resources Board (CARB)


Program Description: Successfully increasing prescribed fire must be supported with effective planning, smoke monitoring and reporting to assess health and climate impacts, as well as public education and outreach to secure awareness and support. Funding is included for the California Air Resources Board and local air districts for increased monitoring, permitting, and communication related to prescribed fire.

Program Impact: Air districts statewide have achieved documented increases in prescribed burn smoke monitoring, and in public notification and public education. Smoke monitors are cached at five locations across the state for air district use. The California Smoke Spotter mobile app received several upgrades in 2022 to improve the public burn and smoke notification platform, including more frequent refreshing of burn status and wildfire notifications added to existing information on individual prescribed burns. The State’s voluntary prescribed fire information reporting system (PFIRS) for smoke management is being upgraded in coordination with data system improvements at CAL FIRE and other agencies.

Resilience in Action: In the three years since inception of the CARB prescribed burn reporting and monitoring program, June 2019 to June 2022, the state’s air districts logged 9,449 reported prescribed burns, representing more than 366,000 total acres managed. Burns monitored statewide for air quality impacts totaled 987 over the same period, representing a 60 percent average year-over-year increase in burn monitoring from 2020 to 2022.

Program Website Links:

Traditional Media Coverage:

California Smoke Spotter 2.0 launch (August 2022):

 Since California Smoke Spotter was first launched in May 2021, and with the addition of wildfire smoke information and forecasting in August 2022, nearly 8,000 users have downloaded the app.

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RESOURCES



Sky view through trees

State Demonstration Forests

State Demonstration Forests


Department: CAL FIRE


Program Description: The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) operates nine Demonstration State Forests totaling approximately 72,000 acres. The forests represent the most common forest types in the state.

These living laboratories focus on applied research and testing the best forest management practices for carbon sequestration, forest health and fire resilience. Demonstration forests provide answers to some of the most difficult forest management questions that we currently face under a rapidly changing climate, from stand-density to ecological co-benefits to better understanding forest hydrology.

With the ability to conduct decadal-long studies, the demonstration forests inform updates to the forest practice rules governing the 8 million acres of commercial timberlands in California. The forests also provide research and demonstration opportunities for natural resource management, along with recreation opportunities, fish and wildlife habitat, and watershed protection.

Program Impact: In addition to supporting operating costs, this $10 million investment is critical to help modernizing the mission of the demonstration forests. Activities will include:

  • A carbon sequestration study
  • Prescribed fire research
  • Fuel reduction work to enable prescribed fires
  • Upgrades to trails and recreational facilities
  • Improved community communication programs
  • Resources to support tribal co-management

Mountain Home: The 2020 and 2021 fire seasons killed an unprecedented number of monarch giant sequoias in California. However, the grove of old-growth Giant Sequoias at Mountain Home were protected from catastrophic loss during the 2020 Castle Fire due to a decade of active management, including timber harvest, fuel reduction, and prescribed burning. Funding supported removal and burning of post-fire woody debris to prepare approximately 400 acres for reforestation. 212,000 seedlings, including 25,000 giant sequoias were planted in 2022. Another 10,000 giant sequoia seedlings are being grown at the LA Moran Reforestation Center for planting in 2023 to complete post-fire reforestation efforts.  Mountain Home Giant Sequoia Grove Post-Castle Fire (2020) statistics:

  • 2022 Re-inventoried Giant Sequoia: 4,483
  • Mortality: 335 (7.5 percent)

Jackson Demonstration State Forest: Understanding the role forests play in watersheds is crucial, especially during California’s ongoing mega drought. The Jackson Demonstration Forest has been conducting one of the most comprehensive forest hydrology studies in the nation with data going back to 1962. CAL FIRE just executed a 100-year Memorandum of Understanding with the US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station to continue the Caspar Creek Watershed Experiment. The third experimental harvest in this study occurred in 2018. Specific plots were harvested at different densities to track the water yield relative to the forest density. The 2018 harvest is starting to yield preliminary results on the influence of forest stand density reduction on watershed function and yield. This is critical to understanding how forests can help protect watershed and mitigate drought conditions.

Advancing Scientific Understanding of Forests, Fire, and Climate Change: The following scientific studies are being undertaken on Demonstration State Forests to contribute to our knowledge of forests as a nature-based solution to climate change and demonstrate resilient forest landscape conditions to private landowners.

  • Adaptive Management Experiment for Coastal Redwoods: Led by Dr. Sarah Bisbing, University of Nevada Reno, this study will develop three foundational silvicultural treatments to prepare forests for disturbance events exacerbated by a changing climate. Resilience treatments will facilitate recovery of pre-disturbance forest structure. Resistance treatments will allow for the recovery of ecological functions of a forest though the structure and composition may change. Transition treatments will help forests adapt to a changing climate when the forest cannot recover without active intervention. This replicates an ongoing study in the Sierra Nevada forests.
  • Potential Elite Tree Identification: Led by Dr. Stephen Sillett, Cal Poly Humboldt, this study will help us understand traits of individual redwood trees in managed forests with the greatest capacity for carbon sequestration and long-term carbon storage.
  • Mitigating Wildfire Hazard in the Redwoods: Led by Dr. Pascal Berrill, Cal Poly Humboldt, this study will evaluate the effectiveness and tradeoffs of six common fuel treatments in coastal redwood forests. This funding will facilitate the pre-treatment of approximately 300 acres with mastication and hand crews prior to the reintroduction of prescribed fire. This will contribute to the knowledge of the safe and effective reintroduction of fire into coast redwood forests.
  • Cultural Burning for Tanoak Improvement: This study is being conducted in coordination with a local Native American Tribe in Mendocino County to reduce the incidence of acorn weevils and improve acorn production within a coastal redwood forest.

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Tree Root

Interagency Forest Data Hub

Interagency Forest Data Hub


Department: CAL FIRE


Program Description: The Hub will expand data sharing and require annual reporting, including acres treated, in a common data repository. These coordinated information products would be rapidly and reliably made available to land managers and decision-makers. CAL FIRE is entering into a 3-year research grant agreement with the Climate and Wildfire Institute (CWI) to develop a Phase 1 Forest Data Hub. The priority for Phase 1 of the Forest Data Hub is to meet the information needs of the Million Acre Strategy.

Program Impact: The development and sustainment of the Hub will help ensure interagency assets are centrally accessible to all government scientists and land managers, university researchers, NGOs, and other users across the state, to ensure policy makers and land managers are using the most up-to-date data and analytics to inform policy, planning, monitoring, and reporting. Phase 1 of the Forest Data Hub will provide functionality to directly support the Million Acre Strategy and in doing so will address complex issues related to data sharing models, data governance, and security issues.

The key components of the Phase 1 Forest Data Hub include:

  • Treatment tracking of fuel reduction and other vegetation management projects across State, Federal, and local entities
  • Dashboards that provide for reporting status of metrics/indicators
  • Support and access to data sets in the Regional Resource Kits
  • Improved access to data analytics, planning applications and data visualization tools (i.e. Planscape, Pyrologix, etc.)
  • Access to existing forest resources data sets that support the Million Acre Strategy

The Hub may host new and emerging technologies designed to inform forest management practices at multiple scales tied to the Regional Forest and Fires Capacity Program.

Resilience in Action: The Hub is developing an interagency forest treatment tracking system, which will capture projects funded through the State’s wildfire resilience funding as well as federal and state partners. This fulfils one of the key actions of the Forest and Wildfire Resilience Action Plan. The Phase 1 of the Forest Data Hub will provide support for regional planning to expand the pace and scale of fuel reduction projects and related vegetation management projects.

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Remote Sensing

Remote Sensing


Department: CNRA


Program Description: CNRA is investing in high resolution data and analytical products for public safety and to protect ecosystems. Developing reliable base data such as remote sensing like LiDAR will improve predictivemodeling, project planning analytics, and long-term monitoring.

Program Impact: In addition to nearly $8 million dedicated to new LiDAR data collections across California , the remainder of CNRA’s Remote Sensing Portfolio (nearly $17 million) will deliver new remote sensing acquisitions, processed data products and analytics for application, including:

  • Establishment of the first remote sensing flux tower network in the California. This will collect data on water and carbon dynamics necessary to calibrate satellite- based data products and inform forest health, carbon, and management assessments.
  • Production of forest structure and individual tree information using high resolution data for applications including forest, post-fire, carbon, and biodiversity assessments to inform management interventions and fire and fuels mapping updates.
  • Statewide Vegetation Change Detection System to remotely detect disturbances in fire-prone areas of California. This will help identify impacts from fire, tree mortality and timber harvest and inform evaluations of forest cover loss and recovery. This will help determine where quick intervention is needed to prevent forest canopy loss and prevent native shrublands from converting to invasive grasses.
  • Statewide Wildfire and Forest Resilience Evaluation System blending field-based and remotely sensed data including water, biodiversity, forest, and carbon to spatially assess and quantify wildfire and forest ecosystem response to management including fuel reduction and forest health treatments. This will be a critical piece of an effective monitoring system.
  • Collect and process on-demand, remotely-sensed data and imagery to provide timely public safety information critical for assessing post-wildfire geologic and hydrologic hazards on state and federal responsibility areas.
  • Establish a wildfire resilience planning tool, called Planscape, which will help the wide array of wildfire resilience practitioners have the latest science and modeling at their fingertips as they design fuel breaks and forest health projects.

Resilience in Action:

LiDAR: In partnership with the USGS matching grants, California has already collected nearly 30 million acres of new LiDAR data throughout the Sierra Nevada and northern California. This fills in gaps and ensures that nearly every high fire risk region of the State has current LiDAR which will enable a detailed and updated understandingof the major fire impacts and risks across California’s critical fire-prone watersheds.

Planscape: In a public-private partnership with Google.org and the California Natural Resources Agency, the team has developed Planscape, a decision-support tool that makes it easier for planners to design wildfire resilience projects with additional environmental benefits, like biodiversity, carbon storage or even future climate modeling. The program uses State and federal data layers (like LiDAR) and models and developed an interactive user interface so the science interments from the State are easily accessible and usable to planners. Given the wide array of organizations implementing California’s $2.7B wildfire resilience program, Planscape will make it easier for State, Federal, Tribal and local foresters and environmental scientists to have consistent science and models at their fingertips when designing their projects. This will enable more precise targeting and program design. The tool is anticipated to be publicly available in late 2023.

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