The National Forest Foundation (NFF) and U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region (USFS) are pleased to announce the recipients of $158,000 in grants to improve landscape conditions, forest health and water quality in California. The Community Capacity and Land Stewardship grant program helps forest collaboratives and community-based organizations reach agreement on landscape-scale restoration and create forest-based jobs.
Receiving grants were Alpine Biomass Committee, Calaveras Healthy Impact Product Solutions, California Trout Corporation, Camptonville Community Partnership, Lassen County Fire Safe Council, Inc., Mid Klamath Watershed Council, The Watershed Research and Training Center, and WildPlaces.
From planning forest restoration around the Lassen National Forest, to coordinating watershed restoration on the Los Padres National Forest, important community conservation efforts get a boost thanks to these grants funded by the USFS and administered by the NFF. The goals of this program include supporting sustainable and diversified job growth that fosters healthy communities, as well as healthy forests and watersheds throughout the region. By working together, communities are able to invest in and advance a shared vision of long‐term ecological, economic and social sustainability.
Sustaining healthy forests and healthy communities is a primary goal of the U.S. Forest Service. This program builds capacity across the landscape and helps us reach our land management goals while supporting and working together with our community partners.
Developed as a partnership between the NFF and the USFS, the Community Capacity and Land Stewardship program provides capacity‐building support for local collaborative efforts that work toward improving landscape conditions, forest health and water quality.
“We are honored to work with such great partners to implement this innovative capacity building program for the benefit of community forests, water and wildlife,” said Vance Russell, regional director of the National Forest Foundation’s California Programs. “We hope this program will be scaled up and replicated in other regions across the country.” Supporting a shared commitment to collaborative efforts further enhances California’s natural resource and watershed restoration and helps to build sustainable economic capacities in local communities. The NFF and USFS hope to continue the partnership, further building upon collaborative conservation successes throughout California.
Through this and many other programs, the National Forest Foundation facilitates local involvement and encourages community participation in forest stewardship to enhance the viability of natural resources while considering benefits to, and the involvement of, surrounding communities. Brief summaries of supported projects are provided below.
2016 Community Capacity and Land Stewardship award recipients:
Alpine Biomass Committee
Alpine Biomass Committee Capacity Building
Stanislaus and Eldorado National Forests
https://alpinebiomasscommittee.wordpress.com
Calaveras Healthy Impact Product Solutions
Building Capacity for Forest Restoration and Community Recovery in Calaveras County
Eldorado and Stanislaus National Forests
http://www.calaveraschips.com
California Trout
Santa Clara River Steelhead Coalition
Los Padres National Forest
http://www.caltrout.org
Camptonville Community Partnership
Building Organizational & Community Capacity to Further Develop the Forest Biomass Business Center
Tahoe and Plumas National Forests
http://sites.theccp.org/fbbc
Lassen County Fire Safe Council, Inc.
Diamond Mountain Initiative
Lassen National Forest
http://www.lassenfiresafecouncil.org
Mid Klamath Watershed Council
Western Klamath Restoration Partnership Capacity
Six Rivers National Forest and Klamath National Forests
http://www.mkwc.org
The Watershed Research and Training Center
Capacity Building for Aquatic Restoration in the South Fork Trinity River Watershed – Phase I
Shasta-Trinity National Forest
http://www.thewatershedcenter.com
WildPlaces
Sequoia National Forest Land Stewardship, Restoration, and Capacity Building 2016
Sequoia National Forest
http://www.wildplaces.net
