U.S. Forest Service Releases Handbook for Small Parcel Landowners

December 21, 2021 – Forests in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range are being stressed by a number of factors that put them at risk. High-severity wildfire, drought stress, insect outbreaks, disease, and a backdrop of changing climate all pose a threat to the persistence of these forests. These factors can work individually or combine to magnify the impacts on forests. For example, the 2012–2016 drought led to tree stress that increased susceptibility to bark beetles. However, there are land management options that can help landowners increase forest health.

A significant portion of Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades forests are owned and managed as small parcels (10 to 100 acres) by nonindustrial private landowners. This handbook is for such landowners; it provides succinct, straightforward, and thorough information to help them develop a sound forest management strategy for their property.

This handbook was assembled by synthesizing information from a large body of current scientific literature, including printed and online sources, that provides relevant technical information for forest landowners. It is organized in a step-by-step manner to help landowners assess the condition of their property to make informed decisions rooted in the best available science. The handbook is built around four main chapters with attending worksheets that enable landowners to build a California cooperative forest management plan. The plan will help determine what, if any, management action(s) is needed on your land; how to obtain technical and financial support; and what, if any, permits may be necessary. This handbook uses easy to understand language that does not require any specific training in forest science or management.

RESOURCES

DOWNLOAD

by cataskforce

Prescribed Burns Helped Curb the Caldor Fire

These maps show where prescribed burns helped curb the Caldor Fire’s rapid growth

Visit the Story

Prescribed Burns Helped Curb the Caldor Fire

September 20, 2021 – The Caldor Fire defied expectations, climbing up mountains and crossing highways, destroying more than 1,000 structures in the process. South Lake Tahoe narrowly avoided the fire’s wrath, which fire experts say was largely thanks to fire prevention activities, including prescribed burns. The following maps show how prescribed burns and other methods of removing vegetation to reduce the risk of hotter, larger fires — known as “fuel treatments” — slowed or curbed Caldor’s growth.

RESOURCES

by cataskforce

Meet the People Burning California to Save It

July 29, 2021 – Frequent, low-intensity fires known as prescribed burns are one of the best ways to stop wildfires. So why isn’t California lighting more of them?