Many forests in the Yuba watershed are unhealthy. Over stocked with small trees and brush, they are susceptible to high-severity wildfire due to fire suppression and historic timber harvesting practices. On top of that, climate change is exacerbating these threats.
Even though the Yuba watershed evolved with fire in the past, it’s not prepared for the catastrophic fires of today. To address this, SYRCL is partnering with the United States Forest Service (USFS), private landowners, and other nonprofits to plan and implement projects across the Yuba watershed.
In order to efficiently support and develop current and future cross-boundary forest health projects, the Yuba Forest Network acts as a central networking hub to connect resources and practitioners across the watershed. To accelerate the pace and scale of forest health projects across the region, the Yuba Forest Network addresses the need for increased collaboration by connecting stakeholders, projects, and resources.
The North Yuba Forest Partnership is a diverse group of nine organizations passionate about forest health and the resilience of the North Yuba River watershed. Together, the partners are working on an unprecedented scale to collaboratively plan, analyze, finance, and implement forest restoration across 275,000 acres of the watershed. Through ecologically-based thinning and prescribed fire, the partnership seeks to protect North Yuba communities from the threat of catastrophic wildfire and restore the watershed to a healthier, more resilient state.
Quaking aspen stands provide ecosystem services such as enhanced landscape-scale fire resilience, improved water quality, and increased water retention. Despite comprising less than 1% of forests in the Sierra Nevada, aspen habitat bring outsized biodiversity benefits by adding complexity to the landscape and offering high-quality forage for a variety of species.
Aspen have been in decline on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada due to fire suppression, climate change, intensive grazing practices, hydrologic changes, and increased infrastructure. Restoration can be used to promote aspen regeneration to prevent further decline and loss. Aspen stands provide high elevation habitat for aquatic species, migratory birds, and terrestrial wildlife with a wetted landscape and high quality forage. With increasing periods of drought, aspen stand restoration is imperative to increasing resilience to climate change.
Forest Health Literature & Reports Annual Forest Health Monitoring Reports – US Forest Service Assessment of Current Landscape Conditions (2021) – Tahoe-Central Sierra Initiative Biomass in the Sierra Nevada (2019) – Sierra Business Council California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan (2021) – Forest Management Task Force Carbon Fact Sheets – Forest Resources Association The Case for Ecological…
Forest Health Tool Resources California Forest Lidar Analytics Collaborative – Watershed Research and Training Center Collaborating Consciously: The Four Cornerstones – Amy Mickel, Collaborating Well Field Guide to Developing Partnerships – North American Bird Conservation Initiative Fuels Reduction Guide – Cal Fire Good to Go Wildfire Evacuation Planning Tool – Diablo Fire Safe Council Know Your Evacuation Zone – Nevada County…
Forest Health Grant Resources Cal Fire Business and Workforce Development – Accepting applications. California Forest Improvement Program (CFIP) – Accepting applications Fire Prevention Grants Program Forest Health Grant Program – Accepting applications. Forest Health Research – Accepting applications. Forest Legacy Program Rural Fire Capacity – Accepting applications. Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program Wildfire Resilience Block Grant – Accepting applications. Wood Products & Bioenergy Program Sierra Nevada…
Check out the great work the Yuba Forest Network Partners are taking on across the Yuba River watershed: Aquatic Organism Passage on the Tahoe National Forest Trout Unlimited is working with the Tahoe National Forest to prioritize aquatic organism passage barriers for remediation. The upper Yuba system is pristine in many ways, but the many…
Resilience Strategy for Yuba Forests Stakeholder Needs Assessment – Yuba Forest Network Stakeholder Mapping Project – Yuba Forest Network
Do you know the importance of aspen trees for biodiversity in our watershed? Did you know that aspen stands are currently threatened? Aspen groves are in extreme decline due to conifer encroachment resulting from changes in natural fire and hydrology regimes. But you can help! Come out with us to learn about and help restore…
