Location: Sustainable Agricultural Water Systems Research
Project Number: 2032-12610-002-027-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 30, 2023
End Date: Sep 29, 2025
Objective:
California is experiencing a steady increase in wildfire activity, which, to some extent, is due to the effects of climate change. In the last decade large fires, in addition to the drought and insect mortality, have reduced forest cover across the State. As a consequence, the need for reforestation across landowner types has never been greater and reforestation at scale has long been a challenge in California given the limitations in staff, seed, and nursery capacity–but is further complicated by the challenges associated with climate change. There is a need to facilitate climate-informed post-fire management responses with limited budgets and capacity to treat post-fire landscapes at scale. The need for climate-informed reforestation that can support diverse landowner objectives and ecosystem service benefits, including watershed services, sequestering carbon, recovery from climate-related disasters, and reducing risk under uncertain future climate variability, has never been greater. This project consists of three individuals, but interrelated, efforts:
1. Develop, regional and ecotype specific climate appropriate reforestation guidance for all lands.
2. Program support for science communication to develop and curate information for the non-technical general practitioner and landowner.
3. Develop and run training, extension programming and workshops for end users.
Approach:
Propose to conduct a literature review, with regional expert intake sessions and regional workshops/listening sessions to prepare region-specific guidance on climate-informed reforestation and wildfire recovery practices for the general practitioner. These, and other on-going and to-be-determined efforts for curating reforestation support, will provide technical assistance and materials developed or otherwise curated to be translated and supported in a way that is accessible for non-technical practitioners. One site regional and statewide trainings and workshops to increase the knowledge base of federal and private forest landowners to apply climate informed reforestation practices.
