It’s one thing to advocate for managing for more fire resilient landscapes and communities—it’s another to actually do it. Now, thanks to a generous grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Pacific Forest Trust is doing just that.

We are embarking on an ambitious journey, working with a range of experts, to map out how we can move the large majority of catastrophic fires in Siskiyou County and its adjacent watersheds of the Sacramento River Region to being beneficial fires (see Forest Flash September 2023).

PFT is honored to have Mike Bradley, former Northern Region Chief for CalFire, working with us to lead this work on the ground.

“This work is at the forefront of reimagining the future for Siskiyou County and its adjacent HUC-8 watersheds. Beneficial fire, a cornerstone of ecological health, should be harnessed strategically, fostering communities that are not only resilient but symbiotically tied to the environment. With a shared commitment to safeguarding our landscapes, we’re laying the foundation for a future where both nature and communities flourish side by side,” says Bradley.

The Pilot Area, encompassing millions of acres, was chosen because it is characteristic of fire-prone western states where managed forests, grazing and agricultural economies, as well as recreation and tourism, are the dominant economic drivers and populations are relatively low. It encompasses a great variety of natural landscapes, from forest to high desert, with farms, ranches and wilderness areas and parks as well, and is home to the world’s most diverse conifer forests and critical wildlife habitats. The Department of Fish and Wildlife identifies that more species will move to this increasingly vital region than any other in the state as climate change advances. Its watersheds supply water to 32 million people across the state, nearly 85% of the freshwater for the San Francisco Bay, and most of the water for irrigated agriculture.

The project will both restore wildfire resiliency within the region and serve as a learning model for how states in the American West—and beyond—can positively impact fire regimes to restore safer and healthier forests and communities.