Wildfire & Forest Resilience Treatment Tracking and Mapping

Wildfire & Forest Resilience Treatment Tracking and Mapping


At the March 30 Task Force meeting, the Task Force’s Monitoring, Reporting and Assessment Work Group gave an update on their efforts to build an interagency treatment tracker. The group is assembling federal, state, local, private data on planned, active, and completed projects statewide, including those on forests, grasslands, shrublands, and covering approximately 60 different activities (type of work completed). The goals include tracking progress toward state/federal acreage targets; facilitating regional planning and monitoring; and assessing benefits/costs beyond “acres treated.” The Task Force anticipates having a publicly available treatment tracking map and dashboard by summer 2023.

Learn More

RESOURCES



Survey Detects 36 Million Dead Trees in California

Survey Detects 36 Million Dead Trees in California


On February 7, the U.S. Forest Service published the 2022 Aerial Detection Survey report providing an annual estimate of tree mortality. The survey revealed about 36.3 million trees across 2.6 million acres of federal, state and private land died in California in 2022. The central Sierra Nevada Range and areas further north showed the highest mortality rates with true firs being the most impacted.

These data points mark an increased level of mortality compared to 2021 due to the cumulative impacts of extended drought, overstocked forest conditions, insect outbreaks, and disease.

“Forest health is a top priority for the Forest Service,” said Jennifer Eberlien, Regional Forester for the Pacific Southwest Region. “The agency’s 10-year strategy to address the wildfire crisis includes removal of dead and dying trees in the places where it poses the most immediate threats to communities.”

News Release

CAL FIRE Announces New Vision for The Jackson Demonstration State Forest

CAL FIRE Announces New Vision for The Jackson Demonstration State Forest


Based on discussions with tribal governments and key stakeholders, the new vision will inform an update to the Jackson Management Plan with a renewed focus on climate science, restoration ecology and a new model for tribal co-management. CAL FIRE also announced that timber harvest will resume with a focus on small trees, removing slash piles, permanently protecting large trees, and enhancing protection of culturally sensitive sites.

Learn More

RESOURCES


Jackson Demonstration State Forest

Learn More

Demonstration State Forests

Learn More

California Demonstration State Forest System Adds 2,500 Acres to Statewide Total For Research, Restoration and Conservation

California Demonstration State Forest System Adds 2,500 Acres to Statewide Total For Research, Restoration and Conservation


CAL FIRE acquired two properties through donation from PG&E including  2,246 acres along South Cow Creek in Shasta County and 267 acres in the headwaters of the Bear River in Nevada and Placer counties. These properties increase the diversity of forest types under CAL FIRE’s stewardship and create new opportunities for research and demonstration of sustainable forestry techniques. CAL FIRE will work collaboratively and closely with the Shasta Land Trust and Bear Yuba Land Trust who hold the conservation easements on these properties to ensure that the scenic, open space, forest, wildlife habitat, recreation, and historic and cultural values are protected forever. The properties will be stewarded for these multiple uses under a Forest Management Plan to be approved by the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The acquisitions bring the total acreage of California’s demonstration state forest system to over 84,000 acres statewide.

Learn More

RESOURCES


Demonstration State Forests

Learn More

Shasta Land Trust

Learn More

Bear Yuba Land Trust

Learn More

Man on horseback

Jackson Demonstration Forest: A Great Recreation Choice

Man on horseback

Jackson Demonstration Forest: A Great Recreation Choice 


California’s demonstration state forests serve as a living laboratory for how to care for and manage California’s forest lands for multiple benefits—wood products and timber production, recreation, watershed protection, and habitat restoration—given a changing climate and increasingly severe and intense wildfire seasons. The forests provide unique research and demonstration opportunities where environmental scientists, foresters, and other researchers can study the effects of various forest management and restoration techniques that help inform management practices for government, nonprofit and private forestland owners. 

Common activities on state forests include experimental timber harvesting techniques that test the Forest Practice Rules, watershed restoration, mushroom collecting, hunting, firewood gathering, cone collecting for seed, a variety of university research projects, horseback riding, camping, mountain biking, and hiking.

Jackson is the largest of CAL FIRE’s ten demonstration state forests. The area has a long history of logging which began in under private ownership 1862 then evolved into sustainable harvesting after the State’s purchase of the property in 1947. Today, more forest growth occurs each year than is harvested. The most common tree on the forest is coast redwood, but visitors will also find Douglas-fir, grand fir, hemlock, bishop pine, tanoak, alder, madrone and bay myrtle.

Read the Article

RESOURCES


CAL FIRE Demonstration State Forests

Learn More

CAL FIRE Jackson Demonstration State Forest

Learn More

fire trainees

Camp Cinder

fire trainees

Camp Cinder


CAL FIRE’S summer program, Camp Cinder, inspires young women to join the future of the fire service.

In The News

RESOURCES


CAL FIRE’s Camp Cinder Program

Learn More

replanting forest

Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest Research Video

replanting forest

Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest Research Video


Wildfire is increasingly impacting small to medium sized forest landowners. Deciding what to do with their land post-fire can be challenging, which is why CAL FIRE’s Fire and Resource Assessment Program has implemented a long term post-fire reforestation study at Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest. The results of this study will help inform landowners about different options for post-fire reforestation. The experiments and research conducted on Demonstration State Forests helps inform management practices for government, nonprofit and private forestland owners. Private forestland ownerships comprise 40% of California’s forestland and are key to sustaining forests for all California.

Watch the Video

RESOURCES


CAL FIRE Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest

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

photo of Lake Tahoe

The Lake Tahoe Climate Resilience Action Strategy

photo of Lake Tahoe

The Lake Tahoe Climate Resilience Action Strategy


February 1, 2022: THE LAKE TAHOE CLIMATE RESILIENCE ACTION STRATEGY builds on existing Tahoe Basin climate and environmental improvement plans to identify five focus areas that will advance equity, create jobs, and build resilience for the
Basin’s extraordinary natural resources. One of the focus areas includes Reducing Wildfire Risk and Building Forest Resilience.

Read The Report:

CONTACTS



illustration of child in forest

Reimagining Big Basin Vision Summary

illustration of child in forest

Reimagining Big Basin


State Parks is engaging stakeholders and the public in an effort to reimagine the future of Big Basin Redwoods State Park following the CZU Lightning Complex Fire that started on August 16, 2020.

Read The Article:

CONTACTS