This summer is full of opportunities to learn and contribute to the conservation of Sonoma County's forest ecosystems.

In this edition:

• August Meeting: Panel Discussion: Recent & Upcoming Project Proposals
• Save the Date! Annual Picnic, Saturday, Sept. 13th, Rancho Mark West
• Reflections on Wildfire Resilience Focus Group
• Recent Presentation Recordings: 2025 Wildfire Season Outlook, RCD Stewardship Planning
• Financial Assistance Updates: North Bay Forest Improvement Program, West County Defensible Space Rebates
• Upcoming Events: Community Calendar
• Learning Resource: UC ANR Forest Road Management Webinar Recording

August Meeting: Join Us to Hear About Wildfire Resilience & Forest Health Projects in Development

Join us for our monthly meetings. Our meetings are hybrid on Zoom and in-person at the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, 747 Mendocino Ave # 100, Santa Rosa, CA 95401

Panel Discussion: Recent & Upcoming Project Proposals

Our August meeting will feature a discussion panel focused on a variety of recent and upcoming funding proposals. We will hear from multiple organizations about their projects, lessons learned and goals for the future.

Do you have a project you'd like to share with the group? Come prepared to give us an update during our check-in at the beginning of the meeting.

Thursday, August 21, 11am-1pm

Please join us on Saturday, September 13th 11am-2pm for this special in-person event. This event replaces our usual monthly meeting.

We'll gather at Rancho Mark West. We will take a walking tour and enjoy lunch together.

During our walking tour, special guest and herpetologist Beth Sabo will let us see the redwood forest and Mark West Creek through amphibians' eyes. The landowner, Jim Doerksen, will turn back time with stories from the original property acquisition, to Christmas tree farming, to deciding to conserve the property under an easement, through the recent wildfires, and up to today.

Save the date! More details to come.

Saturday, September 13 

11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Rancho Mark West, Santa Rosa, CA

On June 25, Gold Ridge RCD assisted the County of Sonoma in gathering input from local forestland owners on their biggest wildfire resilience needs. 25 landowners, foresters and other community members attended a focus group meeting at the UCCE Office in Santa Rosa to share in-depth insights that will inform the creation of a new Sonoma County Wildfire Resilience Program. Topics included how rural landowners access critical information, finance wildfire work on their properties, and receive support from the County and a ready workforce. 

We heard clearly that landowners want to participate in the creation of a new Wildfire Resilience Program to ensure it is accessible and effective. They stressed the importance of inclusion, building trust, and creating practical solutions. Community forest groups--who are working hard to learn about best practices, fund projects and coordinate with local agencies to make their forests fire-safe--need funding and staffing support. Foresters, who provide essential services, need sustained work, but there isn’t a strong timber market to support them. Forestry crews are also in short supply. Where financial assistance exists, fear of penalization and lack of trust can dissuade landowners from participating in programs that otherwise could benefit them. 



Attendees acknowledged the various efforts to address these problems, but pointed out that the efforts take a fractured, piecemeal approach and expressed a need for a coordinated approach that is organized and easy for the public to navigate. All in all, the magnitude of the work that needs to be done has many landowners feeling overwhelmed. 

Critical observations and feedback are essential to progress. We are thankful for all who participated in the June 25th focus group meeting, and to all who are working hard to be part of the solution. Without a doubt, creating a wildfire resilient community is a great undertaking and will require everyone’s participation. The Sonoma County Wildfire Resilience Program is under development. Updates will be available from the County of Sonoma Administrator’s Office.

2025 Wildland Fire Season Outlook

In July, CAL FIRE Division Chief Ben Nicholls explained how forecasted conditions are anticipated to affect this year’s wildland fire season, and answered questions from the group.

Panel Discussion: Community Forest Management in Sonoma County

In April, we hosted a panel discussion focused on communities who are working together on wildfire resilience, forest management and watershed health in Sonoma County. Four inspiring community leaders shared their unique approaches and experiences with community engagement, organizing and project implementation.

North Bay Forest Improvement Program: Next Round of Applications Opening September 25

This program brings critical resources to treat wildfire hazards on private properties throughout the region, with a focus on serving disadvantaged communities. The North Bay Forest Improvement Program (NBFIP) supports the planning and implementation of projects on private forested lands to reduce the risks of wildfire and promote forest health. The program provides financial incentives to landowners to conduct this critical work.

Conservation Works, in partnership with the four Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) of Sonoma, Mendocino and Napa counties and Clear Lake Environmental Center of Lake County, is offering the North Bay Forest Improvement Program to forest landowners across the four-county North Bay region. This program is made possible thanks to $5.9 million in funding awarded through two CALFIRE Wildfire Resilience and Forestry Assistance block grants. 

Safer West County Defensible Space Rebate Project

Do you live in Camp Meeker, Forestville, Monte Rio, or Occidental? Defensible Space Rebates are still available! Funded by CAL FIRE’s Wildfire Prevention Grants Program, Safer West County continues to partner with Fire Safe Sonoma and Gold Ridge RCD to provide rebates of up to $1,000 to residents of Camp Meeker, Forestville, Monte Rio, and Occidental. This program supports homeowners who hire contractors to perform defensible space work around their properties. Examples of this work include clearing near-home vegetation and trimming back overhanging tree branches to improve the fire safety of the first 100 feet surrounding their homes.

Unsure how to design a new road on your property? Running into issues with upgrading existing roads? Check out UC ANR's Forest Roads Management webinar on YouTube!

The webinar covers forest roads fundamentals, common road issues and solutions, and resources for technical and financial assistance. You'll get to hear from guest speakers Richard Harris (Consulting RPF and Planner), Susie Kocher (UC ANR Forestry and Natural Resources Advisor), and Mark Egbert (District Manager, El Dorado and Georgetown Divide RCD).

This webinar is the newest addition to UC ANR's Forest Stewardship videos playlist. If you're looking for information on targeted grazing, the Forest Legacy program, or mitigating bear damage on your property, visit past webinars on the YouTube playlist here.