California Passes Proposition 4 — Providing $1.5 Billion for Wildfire Resilience
California Passes Proposition 4 — Providing $1.5 Billion for Wildfire Resilience
November 5, 2024 – Californians passed Proposition 4, the first-ever climate bond to go before California voters. The proposition provides $10 billion in bond funds for critical wildfire, flood protection, and other climate resilience projects around the state, including $1.5 billion for wildfire resilience. This funding will enable agencies to improve landscape health and resilience and protect communities from wildfire risks through programs such as the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program. The funding also includes $50 million for long-term capital infrastructure projects that utilize wildfire mitigation waste for non-combustible uses.
In addition to funding wildfire resilience, $1.2 billion will be used to protect natural lands and preserve biodiversity, with $870 million directed to the Wildlife Conservation Board to help the state to meet its goal to protect 30% of lands by 2030. The approval of Proposition 4 is a major advancement for California’s efforts to increase the pace and scale of wildfire and landscape resilience treatments, adapt to a changing climate, and reach goals set in the California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan.
CA State Parks and Partners Treat Over 900 Acres with Beneficial Fire
photo by: Richard Rappaport
CA State Parks and Partners Treat Over 900 Acres with Beneficial Fire
From October 29 to November 1, California State Parks with the assistance of CAL FIRE and the USFS treated 914 acres in the South Grove Natural Preserve at Calaveras Big Trees State Park with prescribed fire.
State Parks, CAL FIRE, USFS and contractors spent years organizing interagency collaboration and preparing the perimeter along with the giant sequoia trees for beneficial fire. Preparation included using mechanical treatments appropriate for State Parks Natural Preserves to remove large fuels from the surrounding fire road and using hand tools to remove large material from the base of over 700 mature giant sequoias.
The entire South Grove Natural Preserve is over 1,300 acres. Critical to giant sequoia stewardship and regeneration, State Parks will continue to be prepared to treat the remaining acres and bring fire back to the entire landscape in regular intervals. This project restores and maintains a complex forest community, promotes giant sequoia regeneration and wildfire resilience, reduces hazardous fuel loads, improves wildlife habitat, and protects park infrastructure.
Meeting Showcases California's Momentum Toward Wildfire Resilience
Meeting Showcases California's Momentum Toward Wildfire Resilience
October 10, 2024
At the Task Force’s most well-attended meeting to-date, nearly 500 people gathered in South Lake Tahoe (and over 300 joined online) for the Sierra Nevada Regional Meeting. Hosted by the California Tahoe Conservancy and Tahoe Fund, the meeting featured several new tools that will revolutionize how California tracks and communicates progress toward improving wildfire and landscape resilience. Other topics covered included progress being made in the Tahoe Basin and the benefits of landscape fuels treatments to vibrant ecosystems and economically thriving communities.
REGIONAL MEETING AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS
• Director’s Report: Director Wright provided an update on recent accomplishments and investments in the Sierra Nevada and a preview of the 2025 Action Plan.
• Statewide Progress on Wildfire Resilience Efforts
– Interagency Treatment Dashboard
– Core Reporting Metrics
– Treatment Effectiveness.
• State & Regional Presentations
– Protecting & Restoring Tahoe: Tahoe partners shared their progress and priorities for advancing state, regional, and local goals through the Environmental Improvement Program.
– Focus on Wildlife – A Vision for Vibrant Ecosystems: A panel of state and regional leaders discussed next steps for evolving large-landscape projects to promote comprehensive climate, watershed, and wildlife benefits.
– Focus on Recreation – A Vision for Thriving Communities: A panel of regional leaders discussed how Sierra partners are broadening planning and implementation to promote recreation and rural economies.
Welcome & Opening Remarks
• Wade Crowfoot, CA Natural Resources Agency
• Kara Chadwick, US Forest Service
• Serra Smokey, Washoe Tribe of NV & CA
• James Settelmeyer, NV Dept. Conservation & Natural Resources
• Joe Tyler, CAL FIRE
Director's Report
• Patrick Wright, Task Force
Statewide Progress on Wildfire Resilience Efforts
Moderator: John Battles, UC Berkeley
• Alan Talhelm and Emily Brodie, CAL FIRE
• MV Eitzel, UC Davis
• Frank Bigelow, CAL FIRE
Tools:
• Monitoring, Reporting & Assessment Page
• Interagency Treatment Dashboard
• CAL FIRE’s Fuels Treatment Effectiveness Reports
Protecting & Restoring Tahoe
• Kacey KC, Nevada Division of Forestry
• Jason Vasques, Tahoe Conservancy
• Julie Regan, Tahoe Reg. Planning Agency
Focus on Wildlife – A Vision for Vibrant Ecosystems
Moderator: Erin Ernst, Tahoe Conservancy
• Stephanie Coppeto, US Forest Service
• Rachel Henry, US Fish & Wildlife Service
• Rich Adams, CA State Parks
• Rhiana Jones, Washoe Tribe of NV & CA
• Meghan Hertel, CA Natural Resources Agency
Focus on Recreation – A Vision for Thriving Communities
Moderator: Danna Stroud, GoBiz
• Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund
• Stew McMorrow, CAL FIRE
• Luke Hunt, Sierra Nevada Conservancy
• Michelle Abramson, Sierra Buttes Trails
• John Wentworth, MLTPA
Closing Remarks
• Task Force Co-Chairs
Sierra Nevada Regional Meeting
Sierra Nevada Regional Meeting
Register early to reserve your seat at the next meeting of the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, October 10 at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in South Lake Tahoe, hosted by the California Tahoe Conservancy and the Tahoe Fund.
The Task Force and CAL FIRE will unveil several new tools that will revolutionize how California tracks and communicates progress toward improving wildfire and landscape resilience at its seventh regional meeting on October 10th in South Lake Tahoe:
Interagency Treatment Dashboard: One year after its beta release with 2022 data, CAL FIRE will present three years (2021-2023) of treatment data from a more complete range of federal, state, local, tribal, and private entities through its expanded and improved Interagency Treatment Dashboard.
Draft Metrics: Task Force Science Advisory Panel staff will present a subset of initial proposed metrics to document the outcomes of recent projects on wildfire hazard, watershed health, and wildlife habitat.
Fuel Treatment Effectiveness Dashboard: CAL FIRE will demonstrate its prototype dashboard to document the benefits of fuels treatments in reducing the impacts of recent fires, including the Park Fire in Butte and Tehama County.
CAL FIRE Director Joe Tyler will also provide a report on the current fire season, and three panels of federal, state, tribal, and regional leaders will discuss their efforts to create vibrant forest ecosystems and thriving communities through landscape-scale wildfire resilience projects.
On October 9 and 11, Task Force Partners will host field tours offering immersive opportunities to better understand the critical landscape health and wildfire resilience work being done in the Sierra Nevada region.
The $28 registration fee for the October 10 meeting offsets the cost of breakfast, refreshments, and lunch. If this fee poses a hardship, contact ForestTaskForce@fire.ca.gov.
Registration closes October 3. No registrations will be allowed after this date.
EVENT SCHEDULE
OCTOBER 10 TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE
Resource Fair
8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
Morning Session
10:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Lunch
12:30 – 2 p.m.
Afternoon Session
2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Reception at the Tahoe Blue Event Center
(Meeting registration is required.)
4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
hotel information
field tours
FIELD TOURS WILL BE OFFERED ON OCT 9 & 11
All tours will be accessed by bus. Parking/meet up locations TBD.
Lunch will not be served.
Tahoe Forest Products Mill
See the first new industrial-scale sawmill built in Sierra Nevada in several decades.
Destination: Tahoe Forest Products worked in partnership with the Washoe Development Corporation an affiliate of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada & California to construct the first new industrial-scale sawmill in the Sierra Nevada in several decades. The mill provides employment opportunities for local citizens and tribal members while supporting forest health and wildfire restoration efforts throughout the Central Sierra. Visit the mill and learn about both the innovative partnerships and engineering that made this long-envisioned opportunity a reality.
Three Tours: start times will be 12:30, 1:00 and 1:30 pm.
Tour lasts approximately 2.5 hours.
Caldor Fire Preparation, Response, and Recovery
Learn what happened before, during, and after one of 2021’s largest wildfires.
Destination: This tour will showcase projects and treatments implemented prior to the 2021 Caldor Fire, successes and lessons learned during initial response to the fire, as well as the significant efforts that have helped the impacted ecosystems recover and accelerated access to recreational opportunities in this post-fire landscape. Tour stops will include Echo Summit, Christmas Valley, Pioneer Trail, and Fountain Place.
Start/End Time: 9am – 1pm
West Shore Prescribed Fire and Indigenous Stewardship
See impacts of long-term prescribed burn projects and multi-benefit ecosystem restoration.
Destination: This tour will visit the renowned Sugar Pine Point State Park to view the effects of a decades-long prescribed fire program. The tour will then explore Máyala Wáta at Meeks Meadow to learn how the Washoe Tribe is partnering with diverse groups to restore ecosystems and habitat by addressing the detrimental impacts of historical cattle grazing, logging, and fire suppression.
Start/End Time: 9am – 1pm
East Shore Shared-Use Trail and Recreation Management
Recreate on a scenic shoreline trail and learn about managing forests in high-visitation areas.
Experience by foot one of Tahoe’s most scenic and historic shoreline trails. Participants will have the opportunity to walk all or part of this spectacular 3-mile pave path while gaining insights on the challenges and solutions for managing forests in high-visitation areas.
TIME: 9am – 1pm
Questions? Please contact foresttaskforce@fire.ca.gov
Thank You to our Hosts
Thank You to our Sponsors
U.S. Forest Service Announces Funding to Reduce Wildfire Risk
U.S. Forest Service Announces Funding to Local Businesses and Underserved Populations to Reduce Wildfire Risk
$25M Funding Opportunity to Reduce Wildfire Risk
August 6, 2024 – The U.S. Forest Service announced a funding opportunity through the Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance program to reduce wildfire risk, increase market opportunities, and support local jobs.
The program is available to local businesses that remove hazardous fuels from national forests and transport the material to be processed for wood products or services. Transporting the materials out of the national forest prevents them from being burned in the forests or left in place where they are subject to insects and diseases that increase the risk for wildfire.
The funding focuses on the removal of hazardous fuels with little commercial value, creating economic opportunities while improving overall forest health and resilience.
$15M to Help Underserved and Small-Acreage Landowners Access Climate Markets
August 28, 2024 – The U.S. Forest Service announced it is investing $15 million to connect underserved and small-acreage forest landowners with emerging climate markets. These investments will expand access to markets that were previously out-of-reach for underserved and small-acreage landowners to access new economic opportunities to maintain healthy working forests as pressures increase to convert forests to other uses. In California, nearly $2 million will go to the Shelterwood Collective, a 900-acre Indigenous, Black, Disabled, and Queer-led community forest and collective of land protectors and cultural changemakers.
New Conservation Strategy to Protect Montane Forests in Southern California
New Conservation Strategy to Protect Montane Forests in Southern California
July 30, 2024 – The Southern Montane Forest Project released its Climate-Adapted Conservation Strategy, an initiative that will bolster the resilience of montane (i.e. higher-elevation forests) to confront threats from wildfires, droughts, pollution, and invasive species.
The strategy takes an all-lands approach, calling for state, federal, academic, and non-profit efforts to work in concert within the USFS’s Southern California Wildfire Crisis Landscape.
Southern California’s montane forests are a key Task Force priority because they protect watersheds that supply about 40% of downstream water for drinking and agriculture. They capture carbon, prevent soil erosion, and serve as critical habitats for threatened and endangered wildlife. They also supply Indigenous communities with food, fiber, and medicine while providing recreational opportunities to over 24 million people.
New Web Resources Help Californians Find Relief from Smoke and Prepare for Wildfires
New Web Resources Help Californians Find Relief from Smoke and Prepare for Wildfires
June 24, 2024 – Clean Air Centers Maps Shows Where to Find Relief from Wildfire Smoke: The California Air Resources Board announced the launch of an interactive, statewide map that offers a one-stop-shop for information about the location and services available at Clean Air Centers. Clean Air Centers will offer Californians who don’t have access to adequate air filtration a safe place to go during periods of heavy smoke. Built in collaboration with local air quality control districts, the online map makes it possible to see where Clean Air Centers are located and provides easy-to-access information, including operating hours, contact information and on-site resources like free Wi-Fi.
CAL FIRE Updates Wildfire Preparedness Website: In preparation for the fire year, CAL FIRE has updated the ReadyForWildfire.org site. This one-stop-shop provides advice and guidance on everything from home hardening and defensible space, to what to pack for evacuation, to what California is doing to enhance and protect forest health.
California National Forests Complete Record Number of Prescribed Fire Acres
California National Forests Complete Record Number of Prescribed Fire Acres
As of June 24, the USFS has treated 63,878 acres with prescribed fire on national forests in California. The previous record was set in 2018 when 63,711 acres were treated. USFS fire managers are using prescribed fire to reduce hazardous fuels and reduce threats to communities from extreme fires. Reintroducing fire also minimizes the spread of pest insects and disease, recycles nutrients back to the soil, and improves natural conditions for native flora and fauna.
Federal Climate Financial Report Demonstrates Need for Proactive Action on Wildfire Resilience
Federal Climate Financial Report Demonstrates Need for Proactive Action on Wildfire Resilience
Over the last decade, suppression has cost the USFS and the Department of the Interior an average of more than $3 billion per year. The Climate Financial Risk report provides estimates for 10 future climate scenarios and a wide range of projections for fire extent and fire suppression spending. A central estimate across the 10 future climate scenarios shows that lands in the National Forest System would experience a near doubling of the area burned by mid-century (2041-2059) and a 42% increase in costs by 2050, to $3.9 billion. Anticipated increased costs of fire suppression due to climate change brings additional urgency to the need for proactive wildfire risk reduction treatments and efforts to protect and prepare communities ahead of wildfires.
Wildfire Preparedness Week – Meeting the Mission Through Partnerships
Wildfire Preparedness Week – Meeting the Mission Through Partnerships
May 5, 2024 – Governor Newsom issued a proclamation declaring May 5-11, 2024 as California’s “Wildfire Preparedness Week.” This year’s Wildfire Preparedness Week theme, Meeting the Mission Through Partnerships, emphasizes the importance of collaboration and collective responsibility in reducing and managing wildfire risk. California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CAL OES) and CAL FIRE will be hosting a series of events to provide valuable wildfire safety and preparedness tips in Sacramento, San Mateo, San Luis Obispo, and Orange counties. Federal partners in California, including the USFS, National Park Service, BLM, and Bureau of Indian Affairs, are launching an online campaign focused on wildland fire safety and prevention while recreating on public lands.
At the community level, Californians can make their neighborhoods safer by creating defensible space around homes, hardening homes, developing wildfire action plans and teaming up to join Fire Safe Councils and Firewise Communities, which work to regularly assess wildfire risk and prioritize action to address it. Visit ReadyForWildfire.org to learn about steps to prepare for wildfire season and help prevent loss of life and property and explore the Task Force’s webpage dedicated to advancing Fire Adapted Communities.