CNRA and Partners Install First Ever Redwood Forest Observatory
CNRA and Partners Install First Ever Redwood Forest Observatory
The California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), in partnership with UC Davis, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the California Air Resources Board, and CAL FIRE, installed the first ever redwood forest observatory consisting of two research towers that will provide critical forest health information on California’s coast redwood forests. The recently installed flux towers are located in Jackson Demonstration State Forest, where they are measuring the inflow and outflow of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and energy between the redwoods and the surrounding environment. Instruments on these towers provide real time understanding of how redwoods respond to changing environmental conditions, wildfire, and management to help land managers protect this iconic forest ecosystem undergoing rapid change. Within the next year, aggregated measurements produced by these towers will be processed for public use.
What is a Flux Tower?
A flux tower is a tall structure that extends above the forest canopy, equipped with sensors at various heights to measure the exchange of gases and energy between the forest and the atmosphere using the eddy covariance technique.
These towers will provide:
- Direct, continuous measurements of redwood forests’ carbon sequestration and their response to climate, management, or natural disturbance, such as wildfire.
- Data on how the redwood forests respond to weather dynamics, such as fog, cloudiness, and summer drought, providing critical information on forest health.
- An important link between satellite data and computer models to enable evaluation of the health and resilience across California’s coast redwood forests.
- Data with the AmeriFlux research network, along with hundreds of research sites across the Americas. These networks help assess the responses and feedback of American terrestrial ecosystems to environmental changes, including those caused by climate, land use, and extreme events.
Senate Advances Bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act
Senate Advances Bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act
October 21, 2025 – The U.S. Senate advanced the Fix Our Forests Act through the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, setting the pivotal fire and forestry legislation up for a vote by the full Senate. The bipartisan legislation would help combat catastrophic wildfires, restore forest ecosystems, and make federal forest management more efficient. The Fix Our Forests Act would:
• Establish new and updated cross-jurisdictional programs to reduce wildfire risks across large, high-priority areas.
• Streamline and expand tools for forest health projects (e.g., stewardship contracting, Good Neighbor Agreements) and provide faster processes for certain hazardous fuels treatments.
• Create a single interagency program to help communities in the wildland-urban interface build and retrofit with wildfire-resistant measures, while simplifying and consolidating grant applications.
• Expand research and demonstration initiatives — including biochar projects and the Community Wildfire Defense Research Program — to test and deploy cutting-edge wildfire prevention, detection, and mitigation technologies.
• Strengthen coordination efforts across agencies through a new Wildfire Intelligence Center which would streamline the federal response and create a whole-of-government approach to combating wildfires.
• Create fire safe electrical corridors by allowing electric utilities with permits or easements on National Forest System or BLM land to cut and remove vegetation near power lines without requiring a separate timber sale.
• Improve reforestation, seedling supply, and nursery capacity; as well as clarify policies to reduce wildfire-related litigation and expedite forest health treatments.
CAL FIRE and the Community Wildfire Planning Center Awarded for Training Program
CAL FIRE and the Community Wildfire Planning Center Awarded for Training Program
October 22 – The American Planning Association (APA) awarded CAL FIRE and the Community Wildfire Planning Center with the 2025 National Planning Award for Resiliency & Sustainability in recognition of their Land Use Planning for Wildfires in California training program. Launched in 2023, the training program offers free, full-day, in-person sessions designed for land use planners, fire marshals, fire chiefs, fire mitigation specialists, building officials, and other professionals from both government agencies and the private sector. To date, nearly 700 attendees participated in one of 24 trainings held across the State. Trainings have helped attendees:
• Increase understanding of the most up-to-date state requirements for planning in fire hazard areas.
• Expand knowledge of wildfire vulnerabilities in the built environment.
• Share information on best practices and resources.
• Interact with peers to exchange perspectives on fire mitigation and planning.
U.S. Forest Service Invests Nearly $32 Million to Protect California Communities from Wildfire
U.S. Forest Service Invests Nearly $32 Million to Reduce Wildfire Risk in California
Over $7 Million to Increase Timber Production and Reduce Wildfire Risk:
September 16, 2025 – The U.S. Forest Service announced it is investing $7.1 million for 18 projects in California. These projects are on or adjacent to 8 National Forests and will remove more than 275,000 tons of biomass that would otherwise remain in the forests. These investments into California are part of a national investment of $23 million to help 35 grant recipients remove and transport an estimated 1.1 million tons of low-value trees and woody debris from national forests to processing facilities. The grants are delivered through the agency’s Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Program, which is designed to help businesses, nonprofits, and state, local, and tribal governments make use of trees, downed vegetation, and other hazardous fuels that would otherwise go to waste or fuel catastrophic wildfires. The trees and woody debris, often too low in value to cover transportation costs, are transformed from a wildfire hazard to valuable products and a source of energy.
Nearly $25 Million to Protect Communities from Wildfire:
September 23,2025 – The U.S. Forest Service announced it is investing $200 million in 58 projects through its Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program. Nearly $25 million will be allocated to 6 projects that will protect communities across California. These projects are intended to help at-risk communities plan for and reduce wildfire risk, protecting homes, businesses, and infrastructure. See details on each of California’s funded projects here.
U.S. EPA Issues Policy Guidance to Remove Barriers for Prescribed Fires
U.S. EPA Issues Policy Guidance to Remove Barriers for Prescribed Fires
October 16, 2025 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued policy guidance directing regional offices to work with local, state, tribal, and federal partners to remove barriers in State Implementation Plans (SIPs) that discourage prescribed fires. Under the Clean Air Act (CAA) and EPA’s Exceptional Events Rule, prescribed fires are eligible to be treated as an exceptional event, meaning air quality data resulting from these strategic fires does not need to be taken into account when determining if an area meets National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Therefore, the EPA will not require inclusion of air quality regulatory provisions in SIPs that limit the strategic use of prescribed fires.
The memorandum directs EPA’s ten regional offices to engage with local, state, tribal, and federal partners to develop approaches consistent with the CAA that will not limit the use of wildland prescribed fires. EPA regional offices must also collaborate with state air agencies to evaluate provisions already incorporated into SIPs, and those proposed for inclusion into SIPs, to ensure they are consistent with the CAA and do not limit the strategic application of wildland prescribed fires. Finally, to enable more effective coordination and collaboration on smoke and air quality management, EPA regional offices will work to promote recordkeeping and smoke management practices associated with prescribed fire activities.
USDA California Climate Hub and Partners Release New Reforestation Planning Resources
USDA California Climate Hub and Partners Release New Reforestation Planning Resources
September 30, 2025 – The recently launched California Reforestation Toolshed website consolidates a variety of reforestation resources into one location, improving access to essential reforestation guidance and science. The Toolshed was collaboratively developed by the USDA California Climate Hub, CAL FIRE, American Forests, the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center and University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The Toolshed includes 12 new California Climate-Informed Reforestation Guidance booklets. These booklets provide regionally specific recommendations for site preparation, planting, and post-planting management actions that can help establish forests that are resilient to climate effects, extreme weather, and wildfires.
California Climate-Informed Reforestation Guidance Booklets:
U.S. Forest Service Invests Over $7 Million to Increase Timber Production and Reduce Wildfire Risk in California
U.S. Forest Service Invests Over $7 Million to Increase Timber Production and Reduce Wildfire Risk in California
September 16, 2025 – The U.S. Forest Service announced it is investing $7.1 million for 18 projects in California. These projects are on or adjacent to 8 National Forests and will remove more than 275,000 tons of biomass that would otherwise remain in the forests. These investments into California are part of a national investment of $23 million to help 35 grant recipients remove and transport an estimated 1.1 million tons of low-value trees and woody debris from national forests to processing facilities.
The grants are delivered through the agency’s Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Program, which is designed to help businesses, nonprofits, and state, local, and tribal governments make use of trees, downed vegetation, and other hazardous fuels that would otherwise go to waste or fuel catastrophic wildfires. The trees and woody debris, often too low in value to cover transportation costs, are transformed from a wildfire hazard to valuable products and a source of energy.
New Videos Demonstrate How Collaborative Fuels Treatments Protected Communities from 2024 Wildfires
New Videos Demonstrate How Collaborative Fuels Treatments Protected Communities from 2024 Wildfires
September 4, 2025 – One year ago, the Line Fire on the San Bernardino National Forest threatened homes, infrastructure, and lives. At the same time, wildfires on the Angeles and Cleveland National Forests, the Bridge and Airport Fires, burned nearby, posing similar threats. Thanks to advanced planning and proactive forest management across Southern California forests, fire crews were able to hold the line and protect nearby communities. The Task Force showcased these videos at its recent Inland Empire Regional Meeting in addition to featuring panels with staff that were critical to implementing these proactive life-saving projects.
Governor Newsom Unveils California’s Updated Climate Adaptation Strategy
Governor Newsom Unveils California’s Updated Climate Adaptation Strategy
September 4, 2025 – Governor Newsom unveiled California’s updated Climate Adaptation Strategy — the state’s overarching framework to better protect communities and nature from dangerous climate impacts. California last updated the Strategy in 2021. The updated strategy sets strategic direction through six priorities:
- Protecting communities most vulnerable to climate change
- Improving public health and safety to protect against increasing climate risk
- Building a climate-resilient economy
- Expanding nature-based climate solutions and strengthening the resilience of natural systems
- Making decisions based on best available climate science
- Partnering and collaborating to leverage resources
These priorities are supported by cross-cutting climate resilience actions, each with associated success metrics. The strategy aligns with and builds on the goals set forth by California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan and includes the following actions specific to wildfire resilience:
- Prioritize actions that reduce wildfire risks to California Native American tribes and climate vulnerable communities.
- Support wildfire-prone communities by increasing the capacity of local and regional partnerships to build and maintain a pipeline of forest health and fire prevention projects.
- Invest Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds in long-term disaster recovery and resilience building that targets the unmet housing recovery needs of low and moderate-income households in a way that mitigates disaster risk and reduces future losses among vulnerable communities.
- Reduce health impacts of wildfire and prescribed fire smoke.
- Reduce the risk of energy infrastructure-related ignitions that lead to catastrophic wildfire.
- Bring to scale a thriving forest and wood products market in California that leverages public investments by energizing private capital for sustainable forest management, regional economic recovery, and climate resilience.
- Increase the pace and scale of wildfire resilience and forest health projects.
- Reduce risks of wildfire through increased use of fuel breaks and fuels reduction.
- Assist the federal government in scaling up forest treatments by supporting collaborative forest management and encouraging landscape level planning.
- Coordinate and guide prescribed fire and cultural fire activities and address the key barriers to its widespread use in California.
- Expedite permitting processes for wildfire and forest resilience projects using exemptions or the California Vegetation Treatment program.
- Invest in science-based management focused on climate resilience of California’s fire adapted landscapes.
- Improve wildfire smoke guidance for schools, children, and other vulnerable populations. Develop outreach materials for health care providers and the public on wildfire smoke health effects and ways to decrease exposure.
- Collaborate with federal, state, tribal, and private partners to increase pace and scale of restoration of fire-adapted lands and maximize the climate resilience benefits of these treatments.
- Leverage federal funding to support fire-hardening roads and communities.
California Joins Northwest Wildland Fire Fighting Compact
California Joins Northwest Wildland Fire Fighting Compact
September 5, 2025 – California along with Nevada became the newest members of the Northwest Wildland Fire Protection Agreement. Joining the Northwest Compact will give California access to additional wildfire prevention and firefighting resources and expertise during major incidents. The Compact also will facilitate California’s firefighters gaining experience with fire suppression efforts in other member regions. The Northwest Compact was created in 1998 and is one of eight forest firefighting Compacts currently operating across North America. The purpose of the NW Compact is to promote effective prevention, suppression, and control of forest fires in the Northwest wildland region of the United States and western areas of Canada. It provides an efficient way for member states, provinces, and territories to cope with wildland fires that might be beyond the capabilities of a single member agency, through information sharing, technology, and resource distribution. The NW Compact’s existing members include Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana and Hawaii in the U.S., as well as the Canadian provinces Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and the Yukon and Northwest territories.