- Author: Grace Nguyen-Sovan Dean
This July, San Luis Obispo county's first cultural burn since 1850 took place. This reintroduction of indigenous, ‘good fire' to the landscape was led by the yak tit?utit?u yak ti?hini Northern Chumash Tribe, who worked in collaboration with city officials and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CALFIRE). Being involved with the burn was a standout moment for CALFIRE San Luis Obispo Unit (SLU) forester Dave Erickson, whose work often brings him in close collaboration with a variety of community stakeholders.
Though CALFIRE is commonly associated solely with wildland firefighting, the agency really has “two arms: operations and resource management,” explains Erickson. He and others on the resource management side complete restoration and fire resiliency projects on CALFIRE State Responsibility Areas (SRAs), and provide project planning and implementation assistance to nonprofits, private landowners, tribes, and other public agencies.
For Erickson, being a unit forester in San Luis Obispo is dynamic work within a unique area. He notes how the county “stretches from the ocean to alkali deserts” and is home to “tons of different microclimates, which require different types of management”.
For example, though oak woodlands are commonly associated with the region, Monterey pine restoration will be a focus for Erickson later this year. CALFIRE will be working with the San Luis Obispo Fire Safe Council to reforest and reduce fuels in the Cambria Monterey Pine Forest, an effort funded by a California Forest Health Program grant. “This is a super unique and rare habitat, and Monterey pines are affected by a number of different pathogens such as mistletoe and canker. They require active management in order to be healthy and sequester carbon,” he explains.
Though the county is rich in differing ecosystems, Erickson points out a common feature: for a fire-adapted region, the absence of fire over the past 100 years has led to a creeping lack of plant biodiversity. He says, “There are areas [here] that haven't seen fire in a long time, they're crowded out.” Getting fire on the ground, whether prescribed fire or cultural fire, is essential for reducing that crowding, and giving rarer plants the opportunity to grow and thrive.
Erickson's position also brings him in close collaboration with local landowners. He described a project where CALFIRE worked to perform a prescribed burn on a private property in the Long Canyon area: “We got to know the landowners really well, and they were very supportive of what we were doing.” Positive landowner attitudes towards prescribed fire and vegetation management projects are common, with Erickson pointing to the county's long history of resident-driven land management. The county's Rangeland Improvement Association is one of the oldest in California, and organizations like the Fire Safe Council encourage what Erickson describes as community motivation to “help one another...get landscape level projects done”.
Though county residents are accustomed to seeing hand crews at work and smoke from prescribed fires, CALFIRE SLU also aims to increase public understanding of why these projects are necessary. Erickson shared that one of the ways CALFIRE SLU has increased its public outreach is through the online platform ArcGIS StoryMaps. CALFIRE SLU's StoryMaps detail two ongoing CALFIRE vegetation management projects on SRA land, and invite curious viewers to explore each project's methodology, environmental outcomes, and monitoring protocol.
CALFIRE SLU's StoryMaps and this summer's cultural burn help increase public understanding of forest management, while also illustrating the necessity of collaboration when implementing landscape-level projects. This feature of forestland management is something Erickson sees as applicable for any forest landowner: “We [CALFIRE] work with a lot of partners to get projects done. No agency can do it all alone. [Management] takes a lot of time, effort, collaboration, and partnership. Create relationships with your local CALFIRE [unit], RCD [resource conservation district], UC ANR [office], and people who can give you information.”
- Author: Grace Nguyen-Sovan Dean
When looking to improve a region's wildfire resiliency, considering the impact of neighborhood level action cannot be understated. By tapping into existing community ties, the Tahoe RCD's Network of Fire Adapted Communities (Tahoe Network) program is helping increase the number of Tahoe Basin homeowners taking proactive, educated steps toward wildfire preparedness. The Tahoe Network's multi-pronged approach utilizes information distribution and community organizing to support neighborhoods who are taking steps, both small and large, towards preparedness. “It's a team thing, for projects of this nature,” Jason Brand, Tahoe RCD FAC director notes. “Communities as a whole need to take action.”
When neighborhoods connect with Brand and his team to become a Tahoe Network ‘Fire Adapted Community Neighborhood', they join a supportive network of preparedness-minded homeowners and professionals. With Tahoe RCD assistance, Fire Adapted Community neighborhoods encourage individuals to take preparedness action through hosting events like defensible space and home hardening workdays. The RCD also facilitates neighborhood information sharing through a combination of online and in person communication, so that neighborhoods are kept up to date on actionable items, regional prescribed fire and fuel reduction projects, and more.
Since wildfire preparedness is an ongoing process, an energized base of homeowners is essential to the Tahoe Network's efforts. “You could be done with a defensible space project, then a storm comes through and blows pine needles onto your roof,” Brand illustrates. “It's a process, but we try to keep everyone excited.”
One way the Tahoe Network maintains community interest is through their program's group of Neighborhood Leaders. Neighborhood Leaders disseminate educational resources, host defensible space workdays, and help maintain momentum around wildfire awareness. Any resident interested in spearheading neighborhood preparedness projects is encouraged to become a Neighborhood Leader, with Brand noting how “some have already done their defensible space work and want to reach more of the community, and some are just getting introduced to these concepts because they got a call from their insurance agency.” When looking to increase their knowledge base or get ideas for community events, Neighborhood Leaders can turn to the Tahoe Living with Fire website, which hosts a resource library specifically to support Neighborhood Leader activities. The Living With Fire site itself is a collaborative effort, run by University of Nevada, Reno Extension yet utilized as an information hub by many other organizations. This website is also where Brand points anyone curious about wildfire preparedness, as it houses a variety of booklets and fact sheets that guide beginners into becoming ‘ember aware'.
Though the ongoing work may seem daunting, Brand shares there has been a marked increase in neighborhoods seeking to improve their wildfire readiness within the Basin. There are now 72 Fire Adapted Community neighborhoods, and over the past two years the region's number of nationally recognized Firewise communities jumped from 12 to 34, with 6 more seeking recognition. This is a tangible indicator to Brand that more neighborhoods are serious about organizing local preparedness efforts: “There's a lot of steps that communities need to take to become Firewise. You have to keep people talking, learning, and taking action.”
Making learning approachable is something Brand sees as key to ensuring more residents can make informed, confident choices to protect their home. “Just having a citizenship educated on the pressures our ecosystem is experiencing has a direct effect on the forest,” Brand states. “When people start protecting their home, there is inherently less pressure on our forests.”
Forest landowners and community members in El Dorado, Nevada, and Placer counties interested in learning more about forest management are encouraged to register for the next UC ANR Forest Stewardship workshop series. The Tahoe Basin Forest Stewardship workshop will cover forest management planning, forest and fire ecology, and forest health, and more. Sign up here. Registration is $60, and scholarship funding for registration fee is available. For questions, please contact kcingram@ucanr.edu.
- Author: Molly Stephens
- Author: Roger Bales
The new film "California's Watershed Healing" documents the huge benefits that result from restoring forests to healthier densities. UC Merced's Sierra Nevada Research Institute partnered with the nonprofit Chronicles Group to tell the story of these efforts, the science behind them, and pathways that dedicated individuals and groups are pioneering to scale up these urgent climate solutions.
"California's forests are at a tipping point, owing to both climate stress and past unsustainable management practices that suppressed wildfires and prioritized timber harvesting," explained UC Merced Professor Roger Bales, who was involved in developing the film.
Covering over 30 million acres - nearly a third of the state - these iconic ecosystems provide water, recreation, habitat, carbon storage and serve other needs. But they now contain too many trees, packed too closely together.
"California's diverse ecosystems are facing unprecedented challenges as rising temperatures intensify the threat of wildfires and disrupt the delicate balance of our natural resources," said California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot.
The overaccumulation of dead wood, leaves and other organic materials on the forest floor and buildup of small trees - which serve as "ladder fuels" moving fire from the forest floor up into the canopy - has been compounded in recent years by climate warming. Returning more low-severity fire to the landscape is one effective tool for combating heavy fuel loads.
"Restoring fire to these forests, which evolved to experience frequent fire, is critical, despite the risks associated with prescribed, intentional burning," said UC Merced Professor Crystal Kolden. "Partnerships help to give a voice to everyone involved, including historically excluded groups such as the tribes that have burned in these forests for millennia."
"The new production vividly documents the reality of the watersheds' demise and the hard work of new partnerships involving land managers, water agencies, the private sector, counties, universities, community groups and other public agencies to advance the pace and scale of forest restoration," said Jim Thebaut of the Chronicles Group, director and executive producer of the documentary.
"Restoration efforts focus on removing fuels, which lowers the projected severity when a fire does occur," Bales said. "Yet these thinning projects are very expensive. That is where partnerships that can develop creative financing and monetize the benefits of restoration come in."
"We need to use all of the collaborative forest-management, scientific and financial tools at our disposal if we are to address the wildfire challenge at a meaningful scale," said Phil Saksa, chief scientist at Blue Forest, a nonprofit organization focused on creating sustainable investment solutions to environmental challenges. "Leveraging the value provided by all the beneficial outcomes from this work is essential for motivating long-term investments in the natural infrastructure that is our forests and watersheds."
The film explores how scaling up promising investments can ensure a more sustainable future.
"This documentary serves as a poignant reminder that the health of our forests is intrinsically linked to the well-being of our communities," said Crowfoot. "As we confront the impacts of climate change, it is imperative that we scale up our efforts to restore resilient forests, safeguard our water sources and foster thriving communities. By prioritizing sustainable practices, we can forge a path toward a more resilient and sustainable future for all Californians."
"The watershed is a vital component of California's economy, which is interlinked and linked to the United States and the rest of the world," said Thebaut. "It is the foundation for the state's water supply, which is critical to its far-reaching businesses and food security. The current state of the watershed is evidently grave, and unless fast measures are taken, the United States' national security would be jeopardized."
The current film is a sequel to the Chronicles Group's 2019 30-minute "California's Watershed" documentary, which was distributed on PBS and focused on the critical importance of forested headwaters to California's water security. That water supports the state's economy, equivalent to the fifth largest national economy in the world. It also supports the agriculture that is critically important to food security for the United States.
"California's Watershed: Healing" will be shown Sunday, Feb. 18 at the 22nd annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival in Nevada City and Grass Valley, followed by a panel discussion with scientists, decision makers and filmmakers. Event information, including the film trailer, is available online .
This story was originally published on the UC Merced Newsroom website. Read the original posting here: https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2024/new-film-profiles-immediate-actions-restore-californias-wildfire-vulnerable-forests
- Author: Kara Manke
Surrogates to wildfire
Trial by fire
- Author: Grace Dean
With decades of forestry and community outreach experience behind him, David Kelly felt he had more to give after retiring as Division Chief for the U.S Forest Service. Now, he's the Forest Specialist for the Arrowhead Lake Association (ALA), where his experience with the San Bernardino National Forest can be implemented at a smaller scale. “The first thing I said to [ALA] was, what's your forest management plan?” Kelly remarks.
Looking back, Kelly explains that the concept of forest management was not always celebrated in the Lake Arrowhead community. Years ago, homeowner's associations and local ordinances made it difficult for a landowner to undergo management projects. Today, there is a clear difference in how the topic is approached publicly.
Why the change after nearly 20 years? Kelly attributes a large part of it to the 2005 bark beetle infestation around the lake, coupled with the Old Fire of 2003. This led to a collective realization that allowing landowners to complete forest management projects was necessary. “Forest management has slowly gotten into the community,” Kelly notes, “so that the trees remain healthy, and the ecosystem remains functional.” Interest in prescribed fire is now on the rise, he mentions, with the local PBAs (Prescribed Burn Associations) and Fire Safe Councils being very active.
Still, not everyone in the community exhibits the same enthusiasm for forest management. To bridge these gaps in management philosophy, Kelly finds that investing time into personal interactions is a strong start. He's adamant that being active with community members is what builds trust, which he describes as a ‘two-way street'. “An ‘expert' stamp doesn't do much,” he laughs, “the personal touch is what builds trust.” While in the ALA office, he'll get calls once or twice a week from folks about “someone they saw marking some trees”. That someone, of course, being Kelly. “I tell them, yeah! That was me!” he says, oftentimes encouraging them to ask him questions the next time they see him in the field. He notes that being receptive to curiosity is low energy on his part and goes a long way towards building community trust.
With his neighbors' newfound curiosity in forest management, Kelly utilizes his past community outreach experience to help explain the reality of undertaking projects to landowners. He's developed some analogies to help folks understand, like this ‘haircut' one: “If you have a date next week,” Kelly begins, “you're going to want to get a haircut now, so that it will have time to grow in and look exactly how you want it by next week.” The logic here can be applied to forest management projects as well, he says. People have a goal for what they want their forestland to look like, but don't often realize it takes time after project completion for their forestland to look how they envisioned.
“I try to convince people that you have to get a couple years of management in before it looks perfect,” Kelly says. This, he points out, is why planning is of utmost importance. Using ALA as an example, he points out that there are different constrictions he must plan his projects around: “We're constrained to working outside of boating season, and we have to think about snow, fire, etc.”. Kelly explains that ALA typically completes two big projects a year, one in spring and one in the fall. Seasonal constraints are one of many things forest landowners should consider when thinking about projects and is information that helps guide a forest management plan.
Careful tending is necessary for both community trust and forestland. “The forest grows every day, and it's always changing, whether you see it or not,” Kelly says. “If you turn your back on it, it'll be a mess. If you manage it, you can trend it to whatever you'd want it to be, but it takes a plan.”
Registration for the UCANR San Bernardino Forest Stewardship Workshop is now open! Participants who complete the nine-week series will be eligible for a free site visit from a California Certified Range Manager, Burn Boss, or Registered Professional Forester. Sign up here. Registration is $60, and scholarship funding for registration fee is available. If you have any questions, please contact kcingram@ucanr.edu.