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Before the Fire: Resilience Projects

BUILDING RESILIENCE BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES

Our BEFORE THE FIRE programs are grounded in the belief that RESILIENCE against fire is the best way to MITIGATE fire risk & RECOVER better.

There is much work to be done to build strong models and innovative tools for ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL and COMMUNITY resilience. 

Current Projects

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Reducing risks and promoting forest health on private forested land

North Bay Forest Improvement Program

Central Oregon landscape view of grasslands

Promoting vegetation management for resilience

Building Fire Resilience in California's Coast Range Forests and Grasslands

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North Bay Forest Improvement Program 2021 – 2022 Summary

  The North Bay Forest Improvement Program (NBFIP) is now two years into a multi-year process. As an organization we are very proud of this program, which started as an idea, became a pilot, and is now a model for resiliency.   Over the past two years we have disbursed over $350,000 in incentive payments…

view in Hood Mountain Regional Park mostly burnt field with park boundary post in foreground

When I Hike, I’d Like To See Evidence of Prescribed Burning

by Rosa Brandt, Program Associate, After the Fire USA   Back in June I spent a Saturday hiking up Hood Mountain, a 2,733-foot peak along the Sonoma Valley. The trail winds up through forests, past a small creek flowing down a canyon, and up along the ridgeline to the summit. It is a stunning hike…

infographic comparing forest acreage under state, federal and private ownership in CA. Graphic shows this by size of green tree icons against a deep yellow background

The Necessity of the North Bay Forest Improvement Program

As the weather gets warmer and drier and we head quickly into the midst of wildfire season, it is a fitting time to highlight the importance of vegetation management. It is easy to understand how the actions you take in your own yard and around your house can help protect your belongings from wildfire damage,…

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May is Wildfire Preparedness Month

Prepare Your Home May is National Wildfire Preparedness month, and there are so many things to do now to reduce risk and ensure safety when the next red flag day approaches. This time of year is especially good to take action since the ground has more moisture and temperatures are mild.  Acknowledging that ‘fire season’…

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After the Fire Provides Backbone Leadership and Support for North Bay Forest Improvement Program’s Success

In the Fall, After the Fire had the chance to present at the 2021 Colorado Wildland Fire Conference on the North Bay Forest Improvement Program. It was as successful discussion as fire professionals from all over the state learned how this public-private partnership among four counties could be implemented in Colorado. While there was much…

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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…

Testimonials

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Mike Wink

Battalion Chief, South Lake County Fire Protection District

The South Lake County Fire Protection District has worked on projects in our local community that so far have included: Operation Seconds Count, that provides fire extinguishers and smoke/CO2 alarms to those in need, Operation Force Multiplier, that provides wildland fire hand tools and water fire extinguishers to help community members extinguish smaller fires and Operation Help Us Find You, that provided street signs and address signs to a rural community. Without the support, collaboration, leadership and networking from theTeam at After The Fire these local projects would not have gotten the boost to get going. All of these Projects are ongoing. Thank you team After The Fire!

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Will Evans

Executive Director, Clear Lake Environmental Research Center

ATF has played a critical role in the establishment of multiple regional wildfire resilience partnerships. These regional collaborations have enabled our organization to engage with other practitioners across the region, which has been important for gaining access to technical expertise and funding for projects. ATF's small grants have provided funding that has allowed us to collaborate with new partners on a professional level, which otherwise would have been handled by community volunteers.

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Richard Kavinoky

Monan’s Rill Commu nity

After the Glass Fire burned through our property, it left a lot of dead standing manzanita and trees. The North Bay Forest Improvement Program grant gave us the funds we needed to hire the labor to cut, pile and burn all that vegetation. Now, seven months and 200 burn piles later, the work is done, and we are much better protected from a future wildfire coming from the east.

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Jason Wells

Registered Professional Forester, Sonoma Resource Conservation District

Working with After the Fire has been a great partnership, without their help there would be no North BayForest Improvement Program. Their fiscal sponsorship provides a means to soften the delay between payments from our funders and invoices provided by partners and landowners, their staff provides expertise in contract and meeting management as well as development of promotional and online resources, and they are able to provide a nexus by which multiple agencies and partners can work to expand the influence of the program.

Before the Fire Staff

Rosa Brandt
Program Manager