CA Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force

Innovations in technology are not a silver bullet for solving our climate and wildfire challenges. However, they can go a long way in improving one critical facet of these challenges: capacity. Improving capacity for fuel treatment projects is a core objective for Silicon Valley tech companies like Kodama Systems and BurnBot, Inc., according to a recent article by The New York Times. Fuel treatments, such as thinning or prescribed burning, refer to methods used to manage and reduce the amount of flammable material or “fuels” in forests, grasslands, and other ecosystems. Reducing the amount of fuels can help limit the spread and severity of fires, making them less destructive and easier to manage. Kodama Systems is making mechanical thinning operations more efficient by automating machinery, implementing teleoperations, and bolstering remote-site connectivity. BurnBot, on the other hand, is enabling prescribed burns at scale through remote-operated prescribed burning machines. Kodama, BurnBot, and other tech companies are working to scale up fuel treatment efforts so that we can cover more ground more often, before fires even begin. As Kate Dargan Marquis, senior advisor for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's Wildfire Resilience Initiative, explains, “There aren’t enough hands… Where technology can help assist human production capability, it’s really important.” Learn more: https://lnkd.in/edrMjAh4 #climateandwildfire #wildfireprevention #wildfireresilience #climateresilience #climatetech #climateaction #forestmanagement #forestrestoration #fueltreatment #thinning #prescribedburns #techinnovation #siliconvalley

“This is a really big step forward.” - Wade Crowfoot, California Natural Resources Agency Secretary … Referring to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)’s launch of its Fuels Treatment Effectiveness Dashboard, Secretary Crowfoot went on to say, “We were never really able to get our arms around just the breadth of all of this work, much less determine how effective it’s been.” This was quoted in a POLITICO article discussing the recent Sierra Nevada Regional Meeting of the Task Force. … Read the article to learn more about these big steps in forest resilience. >> https://politi.co/4eWQKXH … #WildfireTaskForce #TaskForceProgress #Wildfire #ResilientForests

Watch sessions from our Sierra Nevada Regional Meeting that showcases California’s momentum toward wildfire resilience! … Thank you to all who participated in the Task Force’s most well-attended meeting to-date! Nearly 500 people gathered in South Lake Tahoe and over 300 joined online. Hosted by the California Tahoe Conservancy and Tahoe Fund, the meeting featured several new tools that will revolutionize how California tracks and communicates progress toward improving wildfire and landscape resilience. Other topics covered included progress being made in the Tahoe Basin and the benefits of landscape fuels treatments to vibrant ecosystems and economically thriving communities. … See highlights and watch recordings from the meeting on the recap page. >> https://lnkd.in/gZ7AeCEE … Tahoe Fund California Tahoe Conservancy California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Office of the Governor - California CalEPA Cal OES California Department of Conservation Bureau of Land Management USDA Forest Service Sierra Nevada Conservancy California Natural Resources Agency California State Association of Counties® Rural County Representatives of California … #WildfireTaskForce #TaskForceProgress #SierraNevada #Wildfire

Understanding wildfire risk has never been more important. Especially, as we continue risk reduction work across the country, implementing our Confronting the Wildfire Crisis strategy. The article we just published on our site explores the emergence of a recent tool, RiskMonitor, and how the big-picture perspective it provides is being used to guide our work. https://lnkd.in/gTCVzhM3

Explore all the updates in our October e-newsletter! ... • California Governor’s Monthly Update • Meeting Showcases California's Momentum Toward Wildfire Resilience • Interagency Treatment Dashboard Shows Progress Toward Resilience • New CAL FIRE Dashboard Shows Effectiveness of Fuels Treatments • New Webpage Brings Together California's Wildfire and Landscape Resilience Monitoring and Assessment Programs • Caldor Fire Recovery Demonstrates Success Using EFRTs • CAL FIRE & USFS Investments Confront California's Wildfire Crisis & Expand Urban Forests ... Read the newsletter here >> https://lnkd.in/gA5XTZJK ... Subscribe to get future e-newsletters in your inbox! >> https://bit.ly/TF-News … California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Office of the Governor - California CalEPA Cal OES California Department of Conservation Bureau of Land Management USDA Forest Service Sierra Nevada Conservancy California Natural Resources Agency California State Association of Counties® Rural County Representatives of California … #WildfireTaskForce #TaskForceProgress #Wildfire #ResilientForests

Are California’s forests becoming more resilient to wildfire? State leaders say yes ... "Nearly 700,000 acres of wildlands across California were 'treated' last year with prescribed burning, tree cutting, grazing or some combination of these and other forestry tactics designed to clear out burnable vegetation and reduce wildfire risk, according to newly released state data… ‘We hope you can see we’re making steady progress toward those targets,’ said Patrick Wright, director of the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, which is overseeing the effort to increase California’s forest management.” ... Read this San Francisco Chronicle article to learn how the Task Force and our partners are making progress and sharing integrated data with the public. >> https://lnkd.in/gzkbx2jy … #WildfireTaskForce #TaskForceProgress #Wildfire #TreatmentDashboard

California Fire Safe Council has announced 17 projects selected to receive the 2023/2024 State Fire Capacity Grant Program funding: https://lnkd.in/g6Ce4BUc

EMERGEN-SEEDs are taking root with Emergency Forest Restoration Teams! … "Three years after the Caldor Fire burned 220,000 acres in the South Lake Tahoe region, a pilot program designed to help private landowners jumpstart restoration is claiming some wins." One of the tours at the Task Force’s Sierra Nevada Regional Meeting focused on showcase projects and treatments implemented prior to the 2021 Caldor Fire. This @Politico article discusses the impacts that Emergency Forest Restoration Teams (EFRTs) are having in this region and similar programs across the state. … Read more about how EFRTs pilot programs are making a difference and how more funding could increase the wildfire resilience impact. >> https://politi.co/3NsNSFX (scroll down to the What’s Working section) … California Association of Resource Conservation Districts El Dorado Resource Conservation District California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) UCANR … #WildfireTaskForce #TaskForceProgress #Reforestation #ResilientForests

A hotter, drier climate not only impacts the frequency and severity of wildfires, but also impacts a slew of other consequences we may often overlook. Solar power generation, for example, is easily hindered by wildfire smoke, as illustrated by a recent article in Reuters last month. “In addition to being hampered by hazy air that blocks some of the sun's rays before they can be converted to electricity within the panels, solar farms can also be affected by ash and dust coatings and can sometimes be destroyed directly by fires,” the article states. From July 12-15, average solar generation slumped to around 6,350 MWh due to thick haze, which marked a roughly 23% drop from the July 1-10 average and was also below the same days in 2023, according to Reuters. To make up for the solar setback, California Independent System Operator (CAISO) power firms increased natural gas-fired generation by around 10% during July 12-15 from the July 1-10 average, but then lowered gas output again once solar output rebounded. From intense wildfires to diminished solar production, many facets of our new climate reality are intertwined. As these impacts intensify, we must continue to prioritize science-backed approaches that reduce both direct and indirect consequences of catastrophic wildfires and smoke and improve our climate resilience. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dPjfcWB3 #climateandwildfire #climate #wildfire #smoke #solar #solarpower #solarenergy #renewableenergy #wildfireimpacts #climateimpacts #climatechange #climateadaptation #climateresilience

Acknowledging our many sponsors that made the 2024 Sierra Nevada Regional Meeting possible! … With their combined support we were able to bring together over 450 partners engaged in wildfire and forest resilience and host four field tours showcasing the amazing Tahoe landscape. The Task Force's Regional Meetings are dependent upon the generous support of our sponsors. Thank you! … Subscribe to our e-newsletter to be notified when the meeting recap video recordings are posted online. >> https://bit.ly/TF-News … NV Energy Foundation BurnBot, Inc. Rural County Representatives of California CBEA California Biomass Energy Alliance Lake Tahoe Community College - Forestry Calforests BurnPro3D California Mountain Biking Coalition … #WildfireTaskForce #TaskForceProgress #SierraNevada #Wildfire