Recap of The Central Coast Regional Meeting

CENTRAL COAST REGIONAL MEETING RECAP


May 11, 2023

Over 300 people came together in Santa Cruz (with over 200 joining online) for the regional meeting of the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force focused on the Central Coast region and ongoing efforts to create more resilient communities and landscapes in the face of wildfires and climate change. The meeting brought together a wide range of experts and agency partners for updates and in-depth panel discussions on the State’s progress on wildfire and forest resilience. Hosted by the California State Coastal Conservancy and San Mateo Resource Conservation District, discussions focused on the unique landscapes and land management issues of California’s Central Coast, with updates and panel discussions about real progress being made on the ground, and opportunities to network with partners from around the state.

If you couldn’t make it in person, or missed the real-time webinar, video recordings are available below.

REGIONAL MEETING AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS

  • Director’s Report: Director Wright provided an update on the status of the 99 key actions outlined in the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan, outlined the Task Force’s mulita-pronged “Roadmap to Resilience,” and highlighted Task Force partners’ achievements on the Central Coast. 
  • The Central Coast Mosaic: A panel of experts discussed the Central Coast’s unique ecosystems, safeguarding communities in the WUI, and indigenous land use practices of tribal communities in the region. The Task Force Interagency Science Team then introduced the new data tools for practitioners available in the Task Force’s Regional Resource Kits.
  • From Local Collaboration to Regional Action: Two panels of regional leaders discussed 1) the value of collaborative efforts for delivering on Central Coast resource priorities and, 2) how project implementors are navigating complex regulatory requirements.
  • Moving Towards A Regional Investment Strategy: A panel of Task Force partners discussed the challenges and opportunities for state-wide funding programs to align programmatically to support locally identified regional priorities.
  • Keynote address by Senator John Laird: Senator Laird (CA-17) is a champion of natural resources and authored SB 456 which codified the CA Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force. Among his accomplishments, Laird served as Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency under Governor Jerry Brown (2011-2019) and two-term mayor of Santa Cruz. In his keynote, Senator Laird reflected on the Central Coast as “ground-zero” in recent times for the effects of climate change.

View Full AgendaCAL-SPAN

Welcome


• Amy Hutzel, CA Coastal Conservancy


Opening Remarks


• Wade Crowfoot, CNRA

• Jennifer Eberlien, USFS

• Valentin Lopez, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band

• Task Force Executive Committee


Director’s Report


• Patrick Wright


The Central Coast Mosaic


• Moderator: Steven Ostoja, USDA California Climate Hub

• Virginio Matzek, Santa Clara University

• Chris Dicus, Cal Poly SLO

• Peter Nelson, UC Berkeley

• Peter Stine, Climate & Wildfire Institute


From Local Collaboration to Regional Action


• Moderator: Kellyx Nelson, San Mateo RCD

• Anne Crealock, Marin Wildfire Prev. Authority

• Dylan Skybrook, Santa Cruz Stewardship Network

• Devii Rao, UC ANR

• Steve Auten, Auten Resource Consulting

• Madeline Cavalieri, CA Coastal Commission

• Len Nielson, CAL FIRE

• Paul Hann, State Water Board


Moving Towards a Regional Investment Strategy


• Moderator: Lisa Lurie, Santa Cruz RCD

• Valentin Lopez, Amah Mutsun Land Trust

• Brian Newman-Lindsay, DOC

• Robin Bellows, CAL FIRE

• Chris Zimny, NRCS

• Sherry Hazelhurst, USFS


Keynote Presentation


• Senator John Laird, CA 19th District


Closing Remarks


• Task Force Co-Chairs



Central Coast Regional Meeting

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

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 Santa Cruz

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

RESERVE

Hotel Paradox, Autograph Collection

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

RESERVE

Hyatt Place Santa Cruz

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


RESERVE

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






Regional Resource Kits and Profiles Are Now Available

Regional Resource Kits and Profiles Are Now Available


The Task Force’s Science Advisory Panel has completed Regional Resource Kits and Regional Profiles for both the Sierra Nevada and Southern California regions. These invaluable tools are now available here on the Task Force website.

Regional Resource Kits offer critical tools and data to guide regional partners and collaboratives in their efforts to reduce wildfire hazard and improve the conditions of forested and shrub landscapes.

Likewise, Regional Profiles bring together the best available scientific information and a wide range of input from stakeholders throughout the region.

The Science Team will now focus on collecting data and tools for the Central Coast in preparation for the May 2023 Task Force meeting.

Regional Resource Kits

RESOURCES


Regional Resource Kits

Regional Resource Kits

Recap of The Southern California Regional Meeting

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL MEETING RECAP


February 2, 2023

Nearly 350 people gathered at the King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas on February 2 for updates and in-depth panel discussions focused on the unique challenges in balancing the protection of the region’s forests and shrublands with community protection from the increased threat of wildfires. Sponsored and hosted by Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and Mountains and Recreation Conservation Authority, the meeting brought together a wide range of experts and Task Force agency partners.

If you couldn’t make it in person, or missed the real-time webinar, video recordings are available below.

REGIONAL MEETING AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS

  • Balancing Priorities in A Complex Landscape: A panel of experts discussed Southern California’s unique landscapes, ecosystems and fire dynamics. The Task Force Interagency Science Team then introduced the Southern California Regional Resource Kit to support efficient and effective planning and prioritization.
  • Key Issues & Priorities: A panel of regional leaders highlighted the prime issues they deal with in managing fire and landscape resilience in Southern California. Topics included minimizing ignition reduction, fuelbreaks and forest conservation, workforce development, and structure and infrastructure resilience.
  • Regional Investment Strategy & Next Steps: A highlight of the February 2 meeting was the announcement of a multi-agency, $70 million investment in Southern California to support regional landscape and community protection programs. Regional partners responded to this funding commitment with a pledge to formalize their strategic coordination with the outcome being a process to develop and implement a Southern California-wide pipeline of shovel ready projects.

View Full AgendaCAL-SPAN

Tribal Blessing & Opening Remarks


• Rudy Ortega, Santa Monica Mts. Conservancy

• Alan Salazar, Tribal Elder


Opening Remarks


• Wade Crowfoot, CNRA

• Jennifer Eberlien, USFS

• Task Force Executive Committee


Director’s Report


• Patrick Wright


Balancing Priorities In A Complex Landscape


• Moderator: Steven Ostoja, USDA California Climate Hub

• Nicole Molinari, USFS

• Daniel Berlant, CAL FIRE

• Jon Keeley, USGS

• John Battles, UC Berkeley

A panel of experts discussed Southern California’s unique landscapes, ecosystems and fire dynamics. The Task Force Interagency Science Team introduced new tools for practitioners.


Key Issues & Priorities


• Moderator: Michael O’Connell, Irvine Ranch Conservancy

• Scott Tangenberg, USFS

• Susie Kirschner, Inland Empire RCD

• Stan Hill, RCD of Greater San Diego

• Rorie Skei, Santa Monica Mts. Conservancy

  • Ignition Reduction
  • Structure and Infrastructure Resilience
  • Strategic Fuelbreaks and Forest Conservation
  • Workforce Development

A panel of Southern California regional leaders highlighted key issues and discussed how they are aligning priorities and meeting shared goals.


Regional Investment Strategy & Next Steps


• Moderator: Forest Schafer, Task Force

• Sherry Hazelhurst, USFS

• Matthew Reischman, CAL FIRE

• Keali’i Bright, Dept. of Conservation

• Ann Baldridge, RCD of Greater San Diego

Task Force partners will introduce the Regional Investment Strategy and provide funding updates.


Final Remarks


• Task Force Co-Chairs



Southern California Regional Meeting

Southern California Regional Meeting


The Southern California Regional Meeting will be held in person in Calabasas, with a LiveStream option for remote attendance. Hosted by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) and Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), discussions will focus on Southern California, with updates and panel discussions about real progress being made on the ground, and opportunities to network with partners from around the state. We look forward to connecting, committing to action, and collaborating on real solutions to the daunting challenges facing our landscapes and communities. The meeting will open with a Resource Fair to showcase local organizations at work in Southern California. Field tours will be offered on February 3. See below for tour details and registration.

FEBRUARY 2 & 3
King Gillette Ranch
26800 Mulholland Hwy
Calabasas, CA

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 Discussions

4:30 p.m. Reception


field tours


FIELD TOURS WILL BE OFFERED ON FEBRUARY 3RD 

Planting a Legacy: FULL

Creating an Ember Screen Along a Historic Wildfire Corridor

Description: Tour the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority’s (MRCA) freeway-adjacent-focused vegetation management effort within the historic wildfire corridor along a four-mile section of the 101 freeway where wildfires jump the freeway into the Santa Monica Mountains. The project consists of planting coast live oak ember barriers, a suburban interface with over 1,500 planted mitigation trees with the help of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps and the San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps. You will also have an opportunity to see progress on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing at Liberty Canyon, which will be the largest wildlife crossing in the world. The tour will involve driving to several sites and standing and walking for short periods of time on uneven terrain.

Location: Calabasas

Start/End Time: 9:30am – 12:30pm

Register

Partnerships in the Santa Monica Mountains: FULL

Wildfire Prevention, Response, and Resilience

Description: This event will provide an opportunity to tour the shrublands of the Santa Monica Mountains and learn about the unique wind-driven wildfire behavior that has shaped partnerships among wildfire practitioners and land managers with federal, state, and local agency perspectives. The tour will feature the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) Fire Division Headquarters and a key Los Angeles County Fire Department wildfire response facility which features a sustainable habitat-focused defensible space project. The tour will include discussion among contiguous land managers including National Park Service, California Department of Parks and Recreation, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and the MRCA who maintain a Cooperative Management Agreement of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The tour will involve driving to several sites and standing on uneven terrain.

Location: Calabasas

Start/End Time: 9:00am – 1:00pm

Register

Community Hardening and Resilience in the Santa Monica Mountains

Description: This tour consists of visiting a home hardening demonstration structure that gives homeowners the opportunity to see best management practices for hardening their structures against wildfires particularly in wind-driven wildfires where embers can progress miles ahead of an active fire and create new ignitions – the project is in partnership with Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Resource Conservation District of Santa Monica Mountains. You will have an opportunity to learn more about the tools and programs being developed to educate and engage with communities and meet with a local community in Oak Park that has organized to create a local Fire Safe Council. The tour will involve driving to several sites and standing on uneven terrain.

Location: Agoura Hills (10 minutes from Calabasas)

Start/End Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm

Register

Reducing Wildfire Risks on our Landscapes and in Communities:

Ventura County Invasive Fuels Management and Home Hardening Projects

Description: This tour will discuss the different wildfire efforts in Ventura County, both on the landscape and within communities, to address wildfire risk. The tour consists of visiting the Arroyo Conejo Invasive Plant Management Project and meeting with a local community that has recently organized to create a Fire Safe Council to discuss how they are working with local organizations to engage with their community to advance home hardening practices. The tour will include COSCA, Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council, the Ventura County Resource Conservation District, Oak Park Fire Safe Council, and Ventura County Prescribed Burn Association. The tour will involve driving to several sites and standing on uneven terrain.

Location:  Oak Park (20 minutes from Calabasas)

Start/End Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm

Register

Northeast Los Angeles Canyons and Hilltops:

Community Wildfire Resilience through Restoration, Local Engagement, and Workforce Development

Description: Wildfire resilience efforts in Los Angeles are complex and most resources focus on the large mountain ranges that surround the developed valleys and basins, such as the Angeles National Forest and the Santa Monica Mountains; however, there is another vulnerable landscape type: urban islands of open space. These smaller open space areas typically include undeveloped canyons and hilltops and are often owned by local agencies, non-profits, private parties, or a combination of these. These open space islands are surrounded by some of the most densely populated communities in California and are highly utilized as spaces of refuge and recreation for residents of Los Angeles. Although they differ in size from the large State and Federal landholdings in the mountains, these smaller islands of open space are also vulnerable to wildfires. The potential impact of a wildfire in any of these islands would be devastating to the surrounding communities, which lack the resources of more affluent areas. On this tour, we will discuss various wildfire efforts occurring in Northeast Los Angeles led by local non-profits, including organizations like North East Trees, who are working to deplete an invasive seed bank of flammable flashy fuels and restoring native habitat, and Community Nature Connection, who is establishing a nursery to supply local restoration projects. They will discuss their unique projects and community engagement efforts. An important component of these efforts is training to create a sustainable green workforce who can steward future wildfire resilience projects to combat climate change and progressively more destructive fires. On this tour, we will also hear from organizations working on wildfire efforts in similar landscapes across the metro area, such as a new Tribal Conservation Corps for Los Angeles and Outward Bound Adventures, an organization dedicated to outdoor education for BIPOC youth for over 60 years. This tour will be an opportunity to hear the perspective of several local organizations as they share their unique wildfire perspectives, goals, and priorities, engage with local communities, and increase conservation employment opportunities.

Location: Northeast Los Angeles (1 hour from Calabasas)

Start/End Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm

Register

Eastern Angeles National Forest Tour:

Description: This tour will begin in Wrightwood to discuss the recent Sheep Fire’s progression and impacts to the community including the role of climate change and weather and their impacts to communities and resources including desert transition vegetative communities such as Joshua Trees. The tour will discuss fire history of the area, the role that fuel treatments played in the Blue Cut Fire and Sheep Fire, and restoration potential. Next, the tour will take a look at Big Pines Highway, ongoing fuels treatment implementation, and a three-way partnership with the Forest Service, National Forest Foundation, and the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. The tour will conclude at Big Rock Creek road which demonstrates the impacts of the Bobcat Fire. Here we will discuss the bigcone Douglas-fir endemic in Southern California as well as restoration in the face of climate change. Please note that this tour will take place in the eastern Angeles National Forest; it is recommended that participants traveling for the event fly out of Ontario Airport after the tour. Guests may also elect to spend the previous night in the Ontario area to assist with travel time to the tour in the morning. The tour will involve driving to several sites and standing on uneven terrain. Participants are advised to bring their own lunch, wear warm clothes, and wear sunscreen.

Location: Wrightwood (2.5 hours from Calabasas)

Start/End Time: 9:00am – 2:30pm

Register

Angeles National Forest:

Mt. Wilson and Chilao Tour

Description: This tour will visit two sites on the Angeles National Forest that have been threatened by large wildfires, including Mt. Wilson and the Chilao area. The southern California Mediterranean climate has always been subject to large wildfires due to the flammable shrub vegetation and Santa Ana wind patterns. Values at risk and other tree form vegetation types are equally threatened and at risk from climate change, past fire suppression, and high frequency of human caused ignitions. On this tour we will visit Mt. Wilson which hosts numerous stakeholders such as the communications site which serve the Los Angeles basin for emergency, utility, and media services. The tour includes a visit to the Mt. Wilson Observatory which maintains operational telescopes while preserving its legacy of historic contributions to astronomy. Mt. Wilson and the stakeholders’ interests have survived the Station and Bobcat Fires and a lesser known Wilson Fire. We will look at the site’s proximity to Los Angeles and the urban interface and fuel treatments that were initiated 10 years ago. There will be a representative from the Mt. Wilson Observatory to discuss stakeholder interests and actions within the framework of living with wildfire. The second leg of the tour will explore Chilao – a popular area for recreation within one of the few areas of the national forest that is a forested east side pine stand. The Chilao area has also been subject to both the Station and Bobcat Fires and represents a remote forest health stand, highly susceptible to wildfire due to adjacency to flammable chaparral. We will look at different fuel and vegetation treatments including mechanical and prescribed fire. Participants are advised to bring their own lunch. The tour will involve standing on unpaved surfaces.

Location: Angeles National Forest (2 hours from Calabasas)

Start/End Time: 9:30am – 2:00pm

Register

Angeles National Forest – Green Valley Tour:

Forest Health in the Face of an Invasive Pest

Description: This tour of Green Valley will highlight the challenges posed by the goldspotted oak borer (GSOB) which was discovered in Green Valley in 2015, 162 miles from the known initial introduction point in San Diego County. We will discuss how public agencies are coordinating with private landowners, bordering National Forest land, as they remove or treat trees affected by GSOB. Participants are advised to bring their own lunch and wear warm clothes. The tour will involve walking on unpaved surfaces.

Location: Green Valley (2 hours from Calabasas)

Start/End Time: 9:30am – 2:30pm

Register

We are encouraging all meeting
attendees to pre-purchase lunch.
Same day purchases will be limited.

PRE-PURCHASE LUNCH

hotel information

** Discounted rates available while room blocks last, thru January 15th **


Best Western Plus Thousand Oaks Inn
75 W Thousand Oaks Boulevard,
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

RESERVE

The Anza
23627 Calabasas Road,
Calabasas, CA, 91302

RESERVE

La Quinta
by Wyndham Thousand Oaks

1320 Newbury Rd.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320

To receive the Task Force
discounted rate,
please call the hotel at
805-499-5910
and use code CG2223


RESERVE

Cambria Hotel Calabasas
26400 Rondell Street
Calabasas, CA 91302

RESERVE

Questions? Please contact planning@mrca.ca.gov


Thank You to our Sponsors



SNC to Pilot Wildfire Resilience Landscape Investment Strategy

SNC to Pilot Wildfire Resilience Landscape Investment Strategy


Made possible by increased state and federal funding and cooperation, the the Landscape Grant Pilot Program will give land managers a new tool that seeks to meet the wildfire crisis where it is occurring—at the landscape level. The program will seek to align funding from multiple entities to provide one or two large landscape grants that support strategic portfolios of projects across large landscapes over a 5- to 10-year timeframe. The program will help SNC implement its  Sierra Nevada Landscape Investment Strategy 

Learn More

RESOURCES



Looking down on pine trees

Grant Guidelines Released for the 2022 Regional Forest & Fire Capacity Program

Looking down on pine trees

Grant Guidelines released for the 2022 Regional Forest & Fire Capacity Program


RFFC grants support regional leadership to build local capacity and fund projects that create fire-adapted communities and landscapes by providing ecosystem health, community wildfire preparedness, and fire resilience. The grants funded with these Guidelines utilize the $110 million of General Fund monies appropriated to the DOC for the RFFC Program.

Grant Guidelines

RESOURCES


Regional Forest & Fire Capacity Program

Learn More

fire prevention in field

Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation Division

fire prevention in field

Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation Division


The Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation Division works with federal, state, and local agencies, Native American tribes, non-profit entities, and other stakeholders to prepare California communities against the devastating effects of wildfire. The various programs within the division allow CAL FIRE to continue to build local and regional capacity, as well as developing, prioritizing, and implementing strategies and projects that create wildfire prepared communities. The tasks involve working with stakeholders on wildfire planning to reduce or eliminate fire hazards and risks, modifying the environment by removing or reducing receptive fuels, conducting fire hazard compliance inspections, and providing education and grant opportunities for wildfire prevention efforts.

Learn More

RESOURCES


California Incident Data and Statistics Program (CalStats)

Learn More

CAL FIRE’S Land Use Planning Program

Learn More