The Next Task Force Meeting is this Friday, July 12th
The Next Task Force Meeting is this Friday, July 12th
Join us in person in Sacramento (no registration needed) or remotely via Zoom. The agenda will include an update on the current fire season from CAL FIRE Director Joe Tyler, a report on state and federal budget allocations from Task Force Director Patrick Wright, and a session on aligning and coordinating state, federal and private funding to better support regional priorities.
Friday, July 12, 2024 – 9:00 AM to 12:15 PM
In person: CA Natural Resources Agency Auditorium, 715 P St., Sacramento, CA
Online: Register for Zoom
New Reports on Post-fire Restoration & Public Health Impacts of Wildfire
New Reports on Post-fire Restoration & Public Health Impacts of Wildfire
New Report on Emergency Forest Restoration Teams: Small private landowners often lack the funding, expertise, or time to undertake restoration work. To address these barriers, California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan called for the establishment of Emergency Forest Restoration Teams (EFRTs). In June, 2024 a report on lessons learned was released from three pilot EFRTs that were developed in late 2021 in response to the Dixie, Tamarack and Caldor Fires. The report provides key recommendations for future EFRTs to be successful.
New Report on the Public Health Impacts of Wildfire: This new scoping report covers the intersections of wildland fire and public health. Developed by UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment in partnership with the Climate and Wildfire Institute, the report investigates key issues in the physical and mental health impacts of wildfire, provides an overview of the current state and federal policy landscape, and presents key recommendations for future resilience.
New Pocket Guide Empowers Communities to Collect Seeds and Support Reforestation
New Pocket Guide Empowers Communities to Collect Seeds and Support Reforestation
Seed collection is a critical first step in successful reforestations projects. The new ‘California Cone Hunter’s Pocket Guide’ serves as an in-the-field reference for those assisting with seed surveys and seed collection in support of post-fire reforestation efforts. The pocket guide was created by seed bank managers, geneticists, seed collectors and Cone Corps members, led by the USDA Forest Service, CAL FIRE, and American Forests. The Pocket Guide is available in both electronic and printed formats and will be distributed at Cone Camp seed collection trainings.
New Online Resources Now Available to Help Prepare for Wildfires
New Online Resources Now Available to Help Prepare for Wildfires
Understanding how best to prepare for wildfire season just got easier with several new, easy-to-navigate online resources that identify low-cost and achievable recommendations to protect yourself, your home and loved ones.
ready.ca.gov: On May 24, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the launch of ready.ca.gov, a new one-stop-shop for Californians to prepare for wildfires and other emergencies. The website is part of Listos California, a state effort that connects communities with resources before, during and after emergencies. The website offers resources and alerts for wildfire and wildfire smoke risks.
firePLANNER: CAL FIRE’s newly updated firePLANNER is a web-based platform that helps residents develop customized readiness plans for wildfire and other emergencies. It also provides information on preparing home and property for wildfire; creating an evacuation plan, including for pets and livestock; and special considerations to keep in mind during a wildfire. Users can also access information on active California wildfires. FirePLANNER is available in both English and Spanish.
wildfirerisk.org: The USDA Forest Service now offers an easy-to-use website to help communities understand, explore, and reduce wildfire risk. It includes interactive maps with the latest data and innovations in vegetation, weather, and fire behavior models, along with updated and improved building footprint datasets, a new funding section to help communities find grants and support for wildfire risk reduction, and a new feature called “Risk Reduction Zones” to help communities see the most effective mitigation activities in different locations.
wildfire defense videos: The Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains released a series of wildfire defense videos to serve as an educational hub to provide home-hardening and defensible space information to prepare and defend your property and yourselves against wildfire ignition. The series provides guidance on home hardening, defensible space, fire ecology, and preparedness.
Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition Exceeds 2023 Goals and Plants 542,000 Trees
Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition Exceeds 2023 Goals and Plants 542,000 Trees
May 2024: The Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition has exceeded its goals in 2023, its second year of large-scale collaboration. The Coalition, made up of 20 partner entities, treated nearly 9,900 acres in 28 giant sequoia groves in 2023. This restoration work brings the total giant sequoia grove acres treated since the extreme 2020-21 wildfires to 14,143 out of 26,000.
The Coalition also planted over 294,000 native tree seedlings in severely burned areas, bringing the total to over 542,000. Other Coalition accomplishments include initiating and hosting research studies by academic, government, and nonprofit organizations, reviving cultural practices, and expanding co-stewardship agreements with tribes and nonprofits.
UC ANR Provides a One-Stop-Shop for Continuing Forestry Education Through ‘California Tree School’
UC ANR Provides a One-Stop-Shop for Continuing Forestry Education Through ‘California Tree School’
May 2024: The UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) Forest Stewardship Education (FSE) program has been helping California’s forest landowners be proactive about the inevitable shifts their forestland will experience. The Forest Stewardship and Post-Fire Forest Resilience workshop programs utilize an online educational format, which guides landowners through the basics of creating forest management plans and managing post-fire landscapes.
The FSE team is piloting a new program to engage a wider audience of forest landowners and community members passionate about trees. This spring, the Forest Stewardship and UC ANR Fire Network teams are holding the first California Tree School, where individuals attend multiple in-person classes on forestry topics.
US Department of Labor Awards $2.9M for Clean-Up & Recovery After Northern California’s 2021 Wildfires
US Department of Labor Awards $2.9M for Clean-Up & Recovery After Northern California’s 2021 Wildfires
On March 25, the US Department of Labor announced the incremental award of more than $2.9 million to continue supporting disaster-relief employment and employment training services for residents as the state continues to recover from the wildfires that devastated several Northern California communities between July and October, 2021. The grant allows the state to provide temporary jobs for debris removal and forest restoration activities in Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Tehama and Trinity counties, including employment and training services for eligible people in the affected areas. This award builds on a previous award from 2022 and brings the department’s total award to California to $5,936,700.
USFS Pacific Southwest Region Releases Broader-Scale Monitoring Results Viewer
USFS Pacific Southwest Region Releases Broader-Scale Monitoring Results Viewer
A Broader-Scale Monitoring Strategy is an overarching strategy to help answer questions at a broad geographic scale that goes beyond one plan area.
On April 5, 2024, the USFS Pacific Southwest Region released the first results of their Broader-Scale Monitoring Strategy which evaluates the status and trend of social, economic, and ecological conditions on National Forest System lands in California. Monitoring results show that national forests in California have been weakened by chronic stress from climate change as well as climate-amplified disturbances like insect infestation, disease, and wildfire. You can download pdf reports of the results or explore the results and data yourself with interactive features such as dashboards and searchable maps.
Tahoe Conservancy Grant Supports Joint USFS-Washoe Tribe Project at Meeks Meadow
Tahoe Conservancy Awards $600,000 Grant to Support Joint USFS-Washoe Tribe Project at Máyala Wáta (Meeks Meadow)
The California Tahoe Conservancy has awarded a $600,000 grant to the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) for forestry operations as part of its joint project with the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California to restore Máyala Wáta (Meeks Meadow). The absence of low-intensity fire has allowed lodgepole pines to encroach on the meadow, drying the soils and reducing the availability of culturally significant plants. The LTBMU will use these funds, matched by $1 million in federal funds, to remove encroaching conifers from 213 acres of the meadow and thin 70 acres of the surrounding upland forest. This federal, state, and tribal partnership is an excellent example of how Task Force partners can work together to achieve multiple benefits, from improving wildlife habitat to promoting culturally significant plants.
California RCDs Are Making Substantial Progress on Prescribed Fire
California RCDs Are Making Substantial Progress on Prescribed Burns
Getting beneficial fire to scale is a critical aspect of California’s Wildfire & Forest Resilience Action Plan. In counties throughout California, Regional Conservation Districts are making a significant impact, getting good fire on the ground, and showing the way on best practices for safe, effective prescribed burns.
Here are a few recent highlights, as favorable fall and winter conditions have enabled California’s Resource Conservation Districts to make significant progress on prescribed burns.
In Yolo County
- The Yolo Prescribed Burn Association hosted its first prescribed burn at a private ranch north of Capay on June 17th. It’s a great, full case study on effective beneficial fire.
- Yolo County RCD also recently completed their first Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). On-the-ground CWPP fuels reduction work has already begun to supplement an annual CAL FIRE prescribed burn.
- Beyond burns, Yolo County Fire Safe Council launched two programs: the Neighborhood Chipper Program and the Reflective Address Sign Program, supplying residents of high fire areas with 111 signs across 81 properties and chipping debris from the creation of approximately 5,589 cubic yards of defensible space.
In Trinity County
- Pile burning activities by Trinity County Resource Conservation District (TCRCD) fuels reduction technicians are contributing to a broader initiative to establish a shaded fuel break along the ridgetop of Browns Mountain to safeguard Weaverville and Lewiston.
- With numerous projects underway, TCRCD remains committed to leveraging controlled burns to enhance landscape health, reduce wildfire risks, and foster long-term ecological resilience. At least 35% of investments benefit residents of disadvantaged communities.
In Butte County
- Butte RCD has built a very active Prescribed Burn Association with over 350 members who are out burning almost weekly. With the addition of a fully outfitted burn trailer, RCD truck, and 125-gallon slip-in fire skid, they plan to step up acreage this spring.
- Local media has taken notice, with coverage by North State Public Radio about neighbors helping neighbors and PBA work near a major evacuation route.
In Placer County
-
- Placer RCD has a state-certified burn boss on staff and a robust program. Their website is full of good content, including videos, pictures, updates, and information about upcoming workshops.
- They also put out a quarterly newsletter titled Forest Steward with lots of high quality beneficial-fire related content and stories.