NRCS California Plans Expanded Conservation Investments
NRCS California Plans Expanded Conservation Investments
NRCS California announced a 2023 investment of over $20 million for climate-smart agriculture practices and forest resiliency in California, including $6.8 million for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program; $5.2 million for the Conservation Stewardship Program; and $7.6 million for the Conservation Technical Assistance Program. These additional investments flow from the Inflation Reduction Act – from which hundreds of millions of dollars more will appropriated over the next five years. This investment is above NRCS California’s annual $125 million investment through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program, Wetland Reserve Easements program, and other NRCS programs.
The deadline to apply for this NRCS California IRA funding is March 17, 2023. Please visit your local NRCS service center to apply, which can be found by clicking here.
USDA Invests More than $48.6 Million to Manage Risks, Combat Climate Change
USDA Invests More than $48.6 Million to Manage Risks, Combat Climate Change
USDA will invest more than $48.6 million this year through the Joint Chief’s Landscape Restoration Partnership for 14 projects that mitigate wildfire risk, improve water quality, restore forest ecosystems, and ultimately contribute to USDA’s efforts to combat climate change. Under the Joint Chiefs’ Partnership, the USDA Forest Service (USFS) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) co-invest in areas where public forests and grasslands intersect with privately-owned lands. An award of $3.3 million was awarded to a phase three project focused on fire resilience in Trinity County. The project will address high-risk cross-boundary threats by strategically treating forests on both private and national forestlands, and it will address new threats created by 2020 and 2021 wildfires.
Forest Stewardship and Post-fire Forest Resilience Projects 2022 Annual Report
Forest Stewardship and Post-fire Forest Resilience Projects 2022 Annual Report
Launched in 2019 in response to a recommendation by Governor Brown’s Forest Management Task Force the UC ANR Forest Stewardship Education Initiative established the Forest Stewardship and Post-Fire Resilience Programs. These programs involve forest landowners in managing and protecting their forests through the development of a forest management plan. Since 2020, 368 people have completed one of the 19 workshop series offered across the state. The 2022 Annual Report summarizes the impact of the programs.
UCANR Publishes Report on Small Forest Landowners
UCANR Publishes Report on California’s Small Forest Landowners
Representing 22% of California’s timberland, private owners of forested lands play an important role in landscape resilience and reducing wildfire risk. And yet, they remain one of the most challenging groups to reach with consistent messaging and education on how to manage and protect their forests.
A new report, recently released by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) provides important learning about forest landowners, their goals, the actions they have taken to date, and the obstacles they face in effectively managing their land.
The report is a compilation of information gathered from forest landowners participating in the Forest Stewardship Education Initiative, a landowner educational effort launched by UCANR and funded by CAL FIRE. The initiative helps landowners better understand, manage and protect their forests by developing a management plan, implementing vegetation management projects, engaging with natural resource professionals, and taking advantage of cost-share opportunities that can help them meet their management goals.
This report represents an important step in meeting the needs of forest landowners, and it implements a recommendation by the Small Landowner Assistance Working Group of the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force.
Private Landowner Assistance Work Group | September 2022 Action Item Updates
Private Landowner Assistance Work Group | September 2022 Action Item Updates
Progress is being made on key Action Items from the Private Landowner Assistance Work Group’s Implementation Strategy. Read the update (link below) for a report on a few emerging EFRTS, NRCS‐CA new forestry technical and financial assistance agreements with partners, and UC Extension Stewardship Workshops.
RESOURCES
Fighting the Goldspotted Oak Borer Instructional Video
Fighting the Goldspotted Oak Borer Instructional Video
Oak Grove, a small San Diego backcountry community, is a success story in stopping an invasive, tree-killing pest from attacking California’s beautiful native oaks. The Goldspotted Oak Borer (GSOB) is a deadly invasive pest that that is threatening California’s oak trees. In this video, UC wildlife biologist Dr. Tom Scoot and arborist Bret Hutchinson summarize proven techniques for identifying and treating GSOB.
RESOURCES
San Diego RCD Fire Safe Council
Village News, 8/27/22: Learn how to protect California oak trees from a deadly, invasive pest
UC Cooperative Extension Forest Landowner Workshops
UC Cooperative Extension Forest Landowner Workshops
UC ANR Landowner Workshops:
· Forest Stewardship Workshops: University of California Cooperative Extension-Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) and partners continue to host workshops in various locations throughout the state to help landowners develop management plans for their own property. Upcoming locations include Butte/Yuba and Napa counties.
· Small Forest Landowners’ Field Day: UC ANR, My Sierra Woods and partners are hosting a Small Forest Landowners Field Day on September 18 in Twain Harte. Fuel reduction projects, technical and financial assistance programs for private forest landowners, and the My Sierra Woods programs will be highlighted.
· Post-fire Forest Resilience Workshops: UC ANR is hosting a new post-fire workshop series this fall aimed at assisting private landowners the northern and Central Sierra Nevada affected by the 2021 Dixie, Caldor and Tamarack fires.
RESOURCES
Preparing to Apply for Community Wildfire Defense Grants
Preparing to Apply for Community Wildfire Defense Grants
The Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan calls for increasing assistance programs and partnerships to help local communities reduce risk, improve preparedness and foster resilience.
The Fire Adapted Communities Network and Headwaters Economics have created a primer designed to help communities navigate the U.S. Forest Service’s recently launched a Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) Program.
RESOURCES
California Fire Safe Council: Community Wildfire Protection Plans
USFS Wildfire Defense Grants
OPR Releases Wildfire Technical Advisory and WUI Planning Guide
OPR Releases new resources: Fire Hazard Planning Technical Advisory and WUI Planning Guide
In an important step forward on two key requirements in the Task Force Action plan, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) today published new resources to support local agencies and communities as they plan for wildfire at the community scale.
The first is OPR’s updated Fire Hazard Planning Technical Advisory (TA) which helps cities and counties address and reduce wildfire risk in their general plans. They also released the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Planning Guide. This publication complements the TA by providing specific examples and best practice case studies to communities to reference as they plan and implement wildfire solutions.
OPR is an important Task Force partner, and these valuable publications will contribute to the Task Force’s goal of strengthening the protection of communities across California.
To learn more, read the OPR announcement and sign up for an informational webinar on September 14th, 2022.
RESOURCES
OPR Wildfire Planning Resources
Informational Webinar: OPR’s Wildfire Guidance & Resources
California Forest Improvement Program: Creek Fire Success Story
California Forest Improvement Program: Creek Fire Success Story
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 because property owners utilized 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. Landowners can use CFIP for creating management plans, Registered Professional Forester (RPF) supervision, site preparation, tree planting, thinning, pruning, follow-up, release, and improvement of forest habitats.