After the Fire USA’s North Bay Forest Improvement Program receives $3.5M CAL FIRE Wildfire & Forest Resilience Block Grant
Sonoma, CA - After the Fire USA is pleased to announce that the North Bay Forest Improvement Program has been awarded a $3.5M grant from the CAL FIRE Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force’s Small Private Landowner Working Group through Senate Bill 170-Budget Act of 2021. The new funding will expand the North Bay Forest Improvement Program (NBFIP), which is a cutting-edge cost share program that provides public funds to support private investment in forest stewardship activities. The program has seen immense success in its first year and has supported more than ten projects thus far, treating approximately 400 acres.
The program brings critical resources to address wildfire hazards on private properties throughout the North Bay region, with a focus on serving disadvantaged communities. In partnership with five Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) in Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino counties and the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center, this program supports planning and implementation of projects on private forested lands to reduce risks of wildfire and improve forest health. The new $3.5M will expand the program to provide more financial assistance to landowners and support project implementation, technical assistance, outreach, and program administration.
As extreme wildfires become increasingly more common in western states, After the Fire USA recognizes the importance of funding and supporting work that builds resilience and reduces risk before the fire. With the addition of this new CAL FIRE grant, After the Fire’s efforts have contributed $10M to deliver programs for the greater North Bay’s regional wildfire resilience, $8.5M of which has been unlocked in the last 13 months.
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After the Fire: Recover. Rebuild. Reimagine (ATF3R) is an initiative of Rebuild NorthBay Foundation in response to a dramatic increase in megafire disasters across the American West.
Our vision is to empower the communities of the American West be more resilient, and to recover faster from wildfire disasters by building local capacity and increasing access to resources.
Our mission is to support communities as they recover from fire, rebuild their lives, and reimagine a more resilient future through prevention, innovation, and facilitating the connection from one fire-impacted community to another.
Please visit www.afterthefireUSA.org
ATF USA Media Contact: Jennifer Gray Thompson (707) 953-6034 or [email protected]