Yuba Forest Network

Our Goals

In order to efficiently support and develop current and future cross-boundary forest health projects, the Yuba Forest Network is envisioned as a central networking hub to connect resources and practitioners across the watershed. The preliminary set of goals envisioned for the group includes:

  • Develop a platform for sharing resources on permitting, contractors, project development, expertise, and monitoring protocol
  • Host a calendar of forest health related events across the watershed
  • Create a broadly accessible forest health stakeholder project map
  • Support existing institutions to promote cross boundary collaboration
  • Increase regional identity around Yuba Forests
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Background

Beginning in late 2019, the Yuba River watershed became home to two Forest Health Watershed Coordinators, hosted by SYRCL and the Camptonville Community Partnership, supporting multiple planning and implementation projects seeking to improve the health of the region’s forests. To tie existing and future projects together into a cohesive strategy, one of their tasks is to build and facilitate a new watershed-wide stakeholder group to promote and implement forest health as well forest product projects throughout the watershed.

Initial conversations with local stakeholders from late 2019 to early 2020 demonstrated an existing energy and capacity for forest health projects but lacking a large-scale cohesive strategy. One particular gap identified is the need for bringing together private landowners around unified projects. The Yuba Forest Network aims to address this need for increased collaboration by connecting stakeholders, projects, and resources in order to accelerate the pace and scale of forest health projects across the region.

Our Work

Learn more about the projects and initiatives currently happening at Yuba Forest Network.

Resilience Strategy

The YFN aims to address the need for increased collaboration by connecting stakeholders, projects, and resources to accelerate the pace and scale of forest health projects across Yuba forests. A regionally focused, living Resilience Strategy for Yuba Forests, with collaboratively defined desired outcomes and strategic actions is one way the YFN is working towards its purpose.

Stakeholder Mapping project

The Stakeholder Mapping Project aims to serve as a resource for stakeholders and the public to learn of forest health fuel treatment projects within Nevada County and the Yuba River Watershed. This map consists of spatial data that was voluntarily provided. It is not comprehensive, but it is an ongoing project.

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News & Announcements

YFN: March/April Newsletter

Land Acknowledgement SYRCL works throughout the Yuba River watershed on the Ancestral and Traditional homelands of the Nisenan Tribe, and includes…

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Events & Quarterly Meetings

Events Calendar

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March 2024

Upcoming & Recent Events

Conduct a Burn

Nevada County RCD: Visit a prepped burn unit or an actual prescribed burn in progress to learn what to do before, during,…

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Conduct a Burn

Nevada County RCD: Visit a prepped burn unit or an actual prescribed burn in progress to learn what to do before, during,…

Read More →

Quarterly Meetings

Click the links below to view the latest agendas, notes, and recordings.

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Subgroups

These working groups are focused on specific tasks aimed at furthering the goals of the Yuba Forest Network and increasing the pace, scale, and quality of forest restoration across the region.

Strategy

Forest restoration in the Yuba River watershed faces a multitude of challenges, including a high percentage of Wildland Urban Interface lands and a unique “checkerboard” ownership pattern. Now more than ever, cross-boundary collaboration is essential to effectively increase the pace and scale of forest restoration across the watershed.

Many effective partnerships and collaborations already exist in the region, however, there is still opportunity to leverage resources, increase communication, and develop unified goals. The Yuba Forest Network’s Strategy Development Subgroup will lead discussions around common goals and desired conditions to better support our forests and communities.

Permitting Resources

The Yuba Forest Network’s Permitting Resources Subgroup aims to further develop relationships with local, state, and federal agencies. Having a cohesive voice for building goodwill with agencies, communicating regulatory barriers, and streamlining processes will increase the ability of stakeholders to carry out forest restoration projects.

Communications

Cross-boundary collaboration is essential to effectively increase the pace and scale of forest restoration across the Yuba River watershed. To support and develop collaborative projects, the core tool of the Yuba Forest Network is the central networking hub that connects practitioners and is a repository of information for forest restoration planning efforts.

The Communications Subgroup will develop this central website hub and ensure it operates effectively for the larger stakeholder group. As COVID restrictions allow, the Communications team will lead in developing field tours and in-person networking events. This subgroup may also evolve to support community outreach and education.

Workforce Development

Since the mid-1800s, the communities of the Yuba River watershed have been sustained by the surrounding forests through a thriving wood products industry. Over time, a combination of environmental and social challenges degraded this industry, as well as the jobs and livelihoods it once supported.

Current efforts promoting ecologically-based forest management have the potential to reduce the risk of uncharacteristic, high-intensity wildfire, restore watershed health and native biodiversity, and redevelop a wood products industry and a restoration-based economy that supports our local communities.

The Yuba Forest Network’s Workforce Development Subgroup supports programs and relationships that build local workforce capacity for forest health restoration work and create long-term sustainable jobs across the watershed.

To join a subgroup, please contact annemarie@yubariver.org

Questions? Contact Anne Marie!

Anne Marie Holt

Conservation Project Manager

annemarie[at]yubariver.org
(530) 265-5961 ext. 216