Fire Adapted Communities (FAC) Baseline Assessment Released

Fire Adapted Communities (FAC) Baseline Assessment Released


The Task Force FAC Work Group released a Baseline Assessment as part of the FAC Roadmap and Dashboard Project. The purpose of the project is to provide a strategic plan for fire-adapted and resilient communities, based on a holistic and shared vision for FAC. The Baseline Assessment documents a broad sampling of the FAC-related research, actions, and efforts being taken across California to identify and address critical gaps to achieving the FAC vision and goals which will be considered for the ultimate Roadmap and Dashboard deliverables to be developed later in the project.


Governor Newsom Introduces 2024-2025 Budget

Governor Newsom Introduces 2024-2025 State Budget Proposal


On January 10, 2024, the Governor introduced a budget proposal that closes a $37.86 billion shortfall while protecting key investments in education, public safety, addressing homelessness, mental health care reform, and climate action. PENDING approval from Dept of Finance With regard to wildfire and forest resilience, the budget proposal maintains most of the previously available $2.8 billion in funding from last year, with a reversion of $100.7 million General Fund for various wildfire programs and an increased funding timeline from 4 years to 5 years.

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Planscape Adds All Four CA Regions and Launches Plan Journey

Planscape Adds All Four CA Regions and Launches Plan Journey


Planscape is a free decision support tool built to maximize wildfire resilience and ecological benefits across California. Planscape has expanded its coverage to Northern California and now offers statewide coverage. The recently launched Plan journey helps determine the best locations for land treatment. Planscape is a collaborative effort by the California Natural Resources Agency, the US Forest Service, The University of California, and Spatial Informatics Group (SIG) with support from Google.org.


Reforestation Pipeline Report Released

Reforestation Pipeline Report Released


On January 31, the Task Force Reforestation Work Group released a report that outlines strategies to ensure California has the capacity to actively reforest lands impacted by wildfires, drought, and pests by offering solutions to address critical supply gaps through a Reforestation Pipeline Partnership. This includes expanding capacity for seed collection and processing, nursery production, project planning and environmental compliance, site preparation, planting, maintenance, and monitoring.

 

The California Reforestation Pipeline Cooperative will host a March 6 gathering in Williams for presentations and discussion on all lands post-fire restoration.


USFS Awards Stanislaus National Forest $57.6M in FY24 Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscape Funding

USFS Awards Stanislaus National Forest $57.6M in FY24 Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscape Funding


Stanislaus National Forest is currently into year three of a ten-year, 305,000-acre project to reduce fuel loads on the forest through a variety of methods to include mechanical thinning and the application of prescribed fire. FY24 funding is part of USFS’ Wildfire Crisis Strategy, which also includes the already underway Social and Ecological Resilience Across the Landscape (SERAL) Project being implemented by Stanislaus National Forest, Tuolumne County and Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions (YSS), a collaborative of 25 local industry, environmental and recreational groups.


Tongass National Forest

USFS Advances Commitment to Protect Old-Growth Forests

Tongass National Forest

USFS Advances Commitment to Protect Old-Growth Forests


On December 19, 2023, the USFS published a Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for a National Old Growth Amendment in the Federal Register. This would amend all 128 forest land management plans across the country to conserve and restore old-growth forests across the National Forest System to maintain and improve amounts and distributions of old-growth to improve resilience and climate-adaptability of our forests.


Map of North Yuba Landscape Resilience Project

North Yuba Landscape Resilience Project

Map of North Yuba Landscape Resilience Project

North Yuba Landscape Resilience Project an Example of Collaborative Funding


A 2020 Sierra Nevada Conservancy grant in support of planning efforts by the North Yuba Forest Partnership leveraged a $160 million USFS investment which will allow much-needed work to be completed across 275,000 acres of federal land within the North Yuba River watershed. While federal projects are ramping up, others have already started thanks to private funding from a forest resilience bond created by Blue Forest Conservation.


Road clearing

CAL FIRE Funding Grants Available for 2024

Road clearing

CAL FIRE Funding Grants Available


  •  Wildfire Prevention: CAL FIRE’s Wildfire Prevention Grant Program will award up to $117 million to local projects that address the risk of wildfire and reduce wildfire potential to communities. Applications are due January 10, 2024.
  •  Forest Health: CAL FIRE’s Forest Health Program will fund up to $120 million forest fuels reduction, prescribed fire, pest management and reforestation projects and $50 million post-fire reforestation and regeneration projects. View the virtual workshop. Applications are due January 15, 2024.
  • Forest Health Research: CAL FIRE’s Forest Health Research Grant Program will award $4.5 million for scientific research projects that address wildfire and forest health issues critical to the State of California. Concept proposals are due January 24, 2024.
  • Business and Workforce Development: CAL FIRE Wood Products and Bioenergy expects to open a solicitation for a new round of funding on January 15, 2024.


CAL FIRE Invests $15M in California’s Wood Products Infrastructure

CAL FIRE Invests $15M in California’s Wood Products Infrastructure


On December 7, CAL FIRE announced the Wood Products and Bioenergy Program awarded 16 projects focused on expanding workforce development and growing the businesses involved in creating healthy, resilient forests across the state as outlined in California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan. The awards support private businesses, non-profits, schools, and Tribes.

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Family hiking

Newsom Administration and Natural Resources Agency Launch Plan for Increasing Access to the Outdoors

Family hiking

Newsom Administration and Natural Resources Agency Launch Plan for Increasing Access to the Outdoors


On November 15, CNRA announced the release of the Outdoors for All Strategy which provides a blueprint to increase access to the outdoors for all Californians. Increasing access to nature is vital step to create connection and understanding of California’s most pressing climate resilience issues. The Strategy includes six key priorities:

  • Establishes spaces for people and nature to thrive by creating and maintaining more high-quality outdoor spaces of all shapes and sizes, especially in park-limited places;
  • Fosters belonging in the outdoors through policies and programs that build a welcoming and inclusive culture;
  • Connects people and the outdoors by improving information and transportation;
  • Co-creates with communities through frequent and meaningful tribal consultation and community engagement, with attention to underserved communities;
  • Builds equitable career pathways and a representative workforce by improving opportunities for all Californians to enter and sustain outdoor recreation, natural resources and restoration professions;
  • Aligns funding to achieve Outdoors for All in partnership with federal, state, and non-governmental entities.

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Outdoors for All