USFS Invests in Deferred Maintenance Projects: USFS will invest nearly $55 million in funding from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to support 41 projects across California and Hawaii in Fiscal Year 2022. These projects are part of $503 million in GAOA-funded investments across USDA-managed lands nationwide to address deferred maintenance, improve infrastructure, increase user access, and support rural economies while also meeting conservation goals.

Infrastructure Law Boosts Federal Funding: Federal agencies will receive $103 million in fiscal year 2022 for wildfire risk reduction efforts throughout the country from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The initial distribution of funding will invest across BIA, BLM, USFWS, NPS, U.S. Geological Survey and other Department of the Interior offices to reduce wildfire risk, support post-fire rehabilitation, and fund wildfire science.

USDA Seeks Proposals for Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership: USDA’s USFS and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are seeking proposals by August 5, 2022, for the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership. Through the new three-year projects, landowners will work with local USDA experts and partners to apply targeted forestry management practices on their land, such as thinning, hazardous fuel treatments, fire breaks and other systems to meet unique forestry challenges in their area.

House Introduces Save Our Sequoias Act: On June 23, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the Save Our Sequoias Act. The bipartisan bill would streamline federal processes to allow quicker tree removal and the clearing of dangerous undergrowth in the approximately 73 giant sequoia groves in the Sierra Nevada. The Act also calls for allotting $325 million over 10 years for projects, along with an immediate emergency declaration to begin reforestation efforts.

CBO Issues “Impacts from Wildfire” Report: In this report, the Congressional Budget Office a) analyzes trends in wildfire activity b) considers the effects of wildfires on the federal budget, the environment, people’s health, and the economy and c) reviews forest-management practices meant to reduce the likelihood and seriousness of fire-related disasters.

Creek Fire Recovery: In 2020, the Creek Fire burned 379,895 acres and destroyed 858 structures. At Rock Haven, near Shaver Lake in Fresno County, 17 homes and 160 acres survived. A recent CAL FIRE video depicts how property owners helped save their properties from the Creek Fire by utilizing the California Forest Improvement Program (CFIP) to manage their forestland. CFIP helps eligible private forest landowners with technical and financial assistance for planning, reforestation and resource management investments that improve the quality and value of forestland.

Angelus Oaks Wildfire Resilience Project: Partnering with the U.S. Forest Service and with support from Southern California Edison and CAL FIRE’s Forest Health Program, the National Forest Foundation (NFF) treated approximately 171 acres of fuels treatments in the Angelus Oaks Community as part of a larger 3,500-acre post-fire restoration and forest resilience project in the San Bernardino National Forest. The San Bernardino National Forest is one of the most urbanized and wildfire-prone forests in the nation. The goal of the larger project is to promote forest health and promote wildfire resilience within the wildland-urban interface. At Angelus Oaks, NFF partnered with the Urban Conservation Corps to provide employment opportunities to youth of color from the San Bernardino area.

Boggs Demonstration State Forest Research: CAL FIRE’s Fire and Resource Assessment Program (FRAP) has implemented a long-term, post-fire reforestation study at Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest. A recent video shows the damage the 2015 Valley Fire inflicted on the Forest and highlights CAL FIRE’s subsequent reforestation and research efforts. The results of this study will help inform landowners about different options for post-fire reforestation. The experiments and research conducted on Demonstration State Forests helps inform management practices for government, nonprofit and private forestland owners. Private forestland ownerships comprise 40% of California’s forestland and are key to sustaining forests for all California.

• This Indigenous Practice Fights Fire with Fire. National Geographic, June 14, 2022.

• Congress wants to save California’s giant sequoias from worsening wildfires. San Francisco Chronicle, June 21, 2022.

• CAL FIRE’s summer camp inspires young women to become future of the fire service. KCRA3, June 27, 2022.

• CA Forestry tour highlights Lake Tahoe fire reduction projects. Fox 40, June 27, 2022.

• Sierra Pacific Industries closing nearly 2 million acres due to wildfire risks. Sacramento Bee, June 6, 2022.

• Big Basin Redwoods State Park to reopen July 22 for first time since massive fire. San Jose Mercury News, June 30

American Lung Association Report: Can Prescribed Fires Mitigate Health Harm? A Review of Air Quality and Public Health Implications of Wildfire and Prescribed Fire, prepared by PSE Healthy Energy, looks at the current research on the potential of prescribed burning to mitigate the increasing health and air quality risks from catastrophic wildfires.

Fertel, Hannah M., et al. “Growth and spatial patterns of natural regeneration in Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forests with a restored fire regime.” Forest Ecology and Management 519 (2022): 120270.

Positions Opening Soon: CNRA and CAL FIRE will soon be posting positions in support of the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force. For updates on those positions visit the Task Force Linked In page.

July 21 Task Force Meeting: July’s Task Force meeting will be hosted in person at the California Natural Resources Building in Sacramento and online via webinar. It will be recorded. Highlights include updates on the Task Force efforts to improve regulatory efficiency and creating an interagency tracking system.