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The projects will employ a wide array of forest management strategies, with goals of wildfire resilience, watershed protection, habitat conservation for endangered species, recovery of fire-scarred and drought-impacted forests, and the reintroduction of fire as a natural ecological process. The Dogwood Project lead by the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority proposes fuels reduction treatments on 1,288 acres within the Eldorado National Forest, reducing the risk of high-intensity, large-scale wildfires, protecting communities, improving forest resilience, and enhancing wildlife habitat within the upper Mokelumne River watershed. The proposed mastication and hand thinning treatments will reduce excess surface fuels in strategic locations along ridge tops and upper slopes that connect with past treatments.
Several of the funded projects also include community outreach and long-term strategic planning through the California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP). CalVTP enables efficiencies in the CEQA process that can reduce review timelines from multiple years to just months, reducing redundancies without sacrificing environmental quality by allowing project sponsors to build on known and verified environmental analysis as they begin their site-specific environmental review for individual projects. These efforts are designed to promote lasting forest health, provide support for disadvantaged communities, and build on previous treatment efforts to ensure continuity and long-term effectiveness.
Three-fourths of the awarded projects will benefit disadvantaged or low-income communities. In addition to the environmental and safety benefits of forest management, such as reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfires, protecting nearby communities, improving water quality and wildlife habitat, and contributing to climate change mitigation, these projects also present valuable economic opportunities.
The Northern Mendocino County Forest Health Collaborative - Phase II project with the Redwood Forest Foundation, Inc., is located in Northern Mendocino County, a rural county with a small-dispersed, low-income population. At 867 acres of forest fuel treatment, this project will provide over 80 forestry jobs for local community members, including jobs for thinning crews, equipment operators, fire crews, cultural management crews and reforestation crews. Trail work with the California Conservation Corps will provide additional jobs and learning opportunities for large crews of young adults.
The majority of CAL FIRE’s Forest Health grants are funded through the Timber Regulation and Forest Restoration Fund (TRFRF), with additional support provided by California Climate Investments (CCI), a statewide initiative that directs billions of cap-and-trade dollars toward achieving the state’s climate goals. CCI prioritizes investments that strengthen the economy, improve public health, and enhance the environment—especially in California’s most vulnerable communities.
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