FireScape Mendocino Workshop Highlights Collaborative Approach for Fire and Fuels Management

Chris Mallek, Forest Ecologist, Fire Management on 2019 East Fire

WILLIAMS, CA - A diverse group of over 50 people attended the FireScape Mendocino (FSM) workshop on Fire and Fuels Management that was held at the Granzella’s Inn Conference Room in Williams on Tuesday, Nov.  19, 2019.

There were participants representing the following stakeholders:  California Conservation Corps, air and water regulators, Forest Service, Resource Conservation Districts, BLM, Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, Native American Tribes, recreation groups, conservation organizations, CALFIRE, Prescribed Fire Burn Associations, Fire Safe Councils, local government, private land owners, University of California Cooperative Extension, and other interested parties.

Lenya Quinn-Davidson on Community Burning

The morning presentations and discussions covered post Ranch Fire recovery of natural and cultural resources, repair and reopening of roads, trails, and campgrounds, and ongoing volunteer efforts to clear trails and repair other damaged facilities.

Frank Aebly, District Ranger, on North Shore Restoration Project

Mendocino National Forest District Ranger, Frank Aebly, gave a presentation on the North Shore Restoration Project that has a goal to provide a resilient landscape that restores the ecological integrity and connectivity of habitat by promoting a mix of composition, structure, and functional processes.  The Project is designed to promote continued production of ecosystem services and provide fuel reduction and protection within the North Shore Wildland Urban Interface.

District Silviculturist Radek Glebocki presented information about post-fire projects totaling 2,900 acres on the Grindstone Ranger District. The projects will include removing standing dead and dying trees in preparation for planting Douglas-fir, sugar pine and ponderosa pine seedlings.

Forest Ecologist Chris Mallek gave a presentation on the 2019 East Fire and explained the rationale and decision-making process that is involved with managing a fire for resource objectives in the wilderness.

In the afternoon, Lenya Quinn-Davidson and her team from the University of California Cooperative Extension and the Humboldt County Prescribed Burn Association, discussed efforts to create community-led organizations that help build capacity and mobilize residents to protect their homes, property, and communities from intense wildfire.

These local community-based wildfire groups work closely with local fire officials to design and implement hazardous fuel reduction projects that help minimize impacts from wildfires.  Such grassroots projects are mostly performed by land owners and neighbors.

Wrap up discussions showed that participants left the workshop with a greater degree of shared understanding about current and future fire, fuels, and forest management approaches in the region.

The workshop also provides attendees with the opportunity to identify potential partnerships with additional people, organizations, and programs who they can collaborate with to implement multiple shared values in fire, fuels, and forest management contexts.

FSM looks forward to 2020 where more information can be exchanged at community workshops and field trips.  Facilitating community-based prescribed fire training opportunities is also a goal for FSM next year. Thanks to all who attended.

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NEWS RELEASE - FireScape Mendocino to Host November 19 Fire/Fuels Workshop in Williams

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Bob Schneider, FSM Core-Team

Email: verve2006@comcast.net

Phone: 530.304.6215

Date: November 1, 2019

FireScape Mendocino Hosts Workshop 

Fires and Fuels Management

FireScape Mendocino is inviting the public to a workshop on Fires and Fuels Management to be held at the Granzella’s Inn Conference Room in Williams, CA on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 from 9 am to 4 pm.

FireScape is a voluntary, inclusive and collaborative effort to shape the future of our fire-prone landscape in and near the Mendocino National Forest. Working together, we emphasize shared learning, problem solving and action on the ground. Taking the next steps in this effort:

•      Hear and provide input to FireScape Core Team updates on goals and actions focused on grants, adaptation to a changed fire regime and climate; and recreation.  Learn about $5-million in new grants to the Forest Service for restoration work.

•       We will learn about the current status and goals of the Ranch Fire Recovery and the North Shore Recovery Project with general discussion and input.

 
       ·    Discuss regional collaborative fire and fuels management with a special presentation               on Prescribed Fire on Private Land:  How does it work and how do we 

                 collaborate to make this happen here.
 

•       Where is FireScape Mendocino going?  What do you want in future workshops topics?  What are next steps in project development and collaboration?  Are there new grant opportunities?  Bring your ideas and thoughts.  Help us do the job.

 

• ·          Feedback is important.  Please fill out the survey.

Participants will engage with a variety of collaborators. Guided by the best practices of the North America Fire Learning Network, FireScape Mendocino is designed to enable people with diverse perspectives to find zones of agreement where we can achieve tangible results in our communities and the surrounding landscapes.   For more information, check out our blog at mendocinofirescape.blogspot.com. Other examples from around the country can be found at www.conservationgateway.org.

FOREST HEALTH, COLLABORATION, TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE HIGHLIGHT COVELO FIRESCAPE SUBGROUP MEETINGS

Covelo FireScape Subgroup Forest Health Field Trip

Round Valley, an important focal area identified by the public at previous FireScape Mendocino community workshops, was center for a series of meetings and field trips by members and partners of the Covelo FireScape Subgroup.  These events took place on September 13 and 14 in the greater Covelo area on private, tribal, state, and federal lands.

Pre-Field Trip Discussion on Collaborative Fuel and Forest Health Projects

On Friday, fire and conservation leads from the Round Valley Indian Tribes joined other members of the  Covelo FireScape Subgroup to tour potential prescribed fire projects along Etsel Ridge on the Mendocino National Forest.

Discussions centered on the need to substantively incorporate tribal knowledge in the planning and implementation stages so as to best achieve the goals of the project to enhance forest health, improve water quality/quantity, and restore/protect cultural resources.

Other topics covered on the field trip were the important benefits of these potential projects which include jobs for youth and others to support the local economy, enhance wildlife habitat, provide high quality recreation opportunities, and restore Forest resilience on the landscape.  

A Salmon Awareness Festival Forest Health Workshop hosted by the Eel River Recovery Project, Round Valley Indian Tribes, and FireScape Mendocino was held on September 14 at the Round Valley Indian Health Center.

A diverse group attended the workshop to talk about building capacity in the local community in support of job creation, economic benefits, cultural restoration, restoring the landscape, and doing cross-boundary fuel and forest health projects to meet those objectives which also include enhancing water quality for fish and other wildlife.

Other discussion items were to review the organizational strategies of the Western Klamath Restoration Partnership, Karuk Tribe, TREX, Prescribed Burn Associations, Indigenous People’s Burning Network, Fire Learning Network, and FireScape Mendocino.

The workshop ended by reviewing recent fuel/forest health projects funded by California’s Climate Change Initiative (CCI) Grants recently awarded to the Tehama Resource Conservation District in partnership with FireScape Mendocino on the east side of the Forest.

Local representatives at the meeting thought it was important for them to continue meeting with a goal to apply for CCI and/or other grant opportunities so they could start important collaborative fuel projects in or near Round Valley.

Pre-Dinner Salmon Awareness Festival Ceremonies

After the workshop, members of the Covelo FireScape Subgroup, FireScape Mendocino Core-Team, partners, and general public attended the Salmon Awareness Festival that was graciously hosted by Eel River Recovery Project and Round Valley Indian Tribes.

According to the festival’s sponsors, this is an annual event to celebrate the return of the salmon that enter the lower Eel River at this time each year to stage for their spawning run. Ceremonial dances, a traditional salmon feast, a watershed education fair, and a forest health workshop are all part of the event.

Round Valley Historical Landmark

The weekend’s events highlighted the important role that relationship building has in creating a collaborative spirit in the community to support much needed forest health projects to restore the landscape for current and future generations.

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