Funded by a $1.4 million grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board, this project will develop a forest health NEPA document on 20,000 acres of Lassen National Forest lands -- half "green," half "black". (The "black" acres burned in 2021 in the Dixie Fire.) The plan will return the area to resilience through meadow restoration, aspen improvement, forest thinning, and prescribed fire.  Over summer 2022, RCD-led crews and contractors assessed forest stands, mapped botanical resources, evaluated miles of roads and streams, pored over archaeological resources and counted owls and goshawks to inform the plan.  Meanwhile, we convened monthly meetings with Forest Service specialists to understand how best to restore resilience to this wild and beloved local landscape.  We also spoke and listened about the project at community get-togethers in Jonesville and in Butte Meadows, and we walked the Colby meadows with Mechoopda Tribal members who contributed their priorities to shape the project.  Over the winter, we developed a plan with the Forest Service to restore resilience to this area using good fire, thinning, road repair, and reforestation. On April 3, 2023, the first public comment period opens.   View the project here:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=62761

Together, we can shape the best possible future for these lands! 

It's all part of the new wave of "shared stewardship" (S2) projects,  where Federal lands get help from State and local organizations (like our RCD) so we can protect our forests and communities for generations to come.

Questions? Just email: wolfy@bcrcd.org