Fire Mitigation and Forest Health

Made possible by our community

In the wake of the 2017 and 2019 wildfires, Pepperwood's work has become more important than ever to help frame long-term, science-based solutions that make our communities more resilient in the face of future extreme events.

As an organization dedicated to leveraging your philanthropy to advance conservation, we are deeply moved by your generosity and your dedication to ensuring Pepperwood continues its leadership role in Northern California's collective fire response and recovery efforts.

Bridging the gap between science and management

The objective of our work around Fire Mitigation and Forest Health integrates multiple threads of Pepperwood’s applied science and management activities into one unified approach for forest management. Our goal is to demonstrate best practices on the preserve and to leverage Pepperwood’s role in research, outreach, collaborations, and technical advising to expand these throughout our region.

Living with Fire in California's Coast Ranges Symposium

From May 7-9, 2018, the Living with Fire in California’s Coast Ranges Symposium was held at Sonoma State University (SSU), in Rohnert Park, CA, as a partnership between the California Fire Science Consortium, Pepperwood, SSU, CAL FIRE, the Sonoma County Forest Conservation Working Group and local public and private agencies. Organized in response to the devastating October 2017 North Bay wildfires, the symposium brought together more than 400 participants, including members of the general public, scientific community, private sector, natural resource and fire safety agencies, and non-profit organizations.

Living with Fire Symposium Proceedings

Living with Fire Symposium Presentations

Fire, Vegetation, and Resilience in the Mayacamas Workshop

On December 4, 2017, Pepperwood hosted a half-day forum on Fire, Vegetation, and Resilience in the Mayacamas. Experts presenting included historical ecologist Arthur Dawson, fire ecologist Sasha Berleman, PhD, and forest ecologist David Ackerly, PhD Over 80 landowners, land managers, foresters, journalists, scientists, and members of the public attended.

The talks put the October 2017 fires in scientific and historical context. Several presenters discussed the impact of the fires on lands they manage. The last presentation focused on how to effectively communicate to the public about the impact of the fires on natural lands. Pepperwood staff led a tour to review the impacts of the fires on our preserve. The day ended with focused discussion and prioritization among action options.

December 2017 Workshop Proceedings

December 2017 Workshop Presentations

Climate Ready Vegetation Management Workshop

In February of 2017, Pepperwood and the UC Berkeley Ackerly Lab hosted a workshop connecting our TBC3 science team directly with managers from local agencies, land trusts, and other groups. This workshop pioneered a scenario-based approach to adaptive management of our forests, and provided critical feedback needed to refine a set of Climate Ready tools produced in partnership with the Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection Authority to help managers better understand fire and drought risks to forest health in the face of a changing climate. The workshop also tapped into TBC3 models that project the potential declines of existing species and the potential arrivals of new species—both desirable and undesirable—on our lands. Pepperwood will provide ongoing support as science adviser to interested land managers through our Fire Mitigation and Forest Health Initiative network.

February 2017 Workshop Proceedings

Fire Mitigation and Forest Health Workshop

In May of 2016, Pepperwood hosted a day-long invitational workshop to bridge from science to practice in managing North Coast range forest and chaparral ecosystems in the face of climate change and fire. Sixty-five scientists and land managers came together to share their expertise and create a framework for future collaboration around fire mitigation and forest health.

The workshop was made possible by a cooperative agreement with the Bureau of Land Management focused on climate adaptation in our multi-jurisdictional landscape. Individual donors also provided critical match support via contributions to Pepperwood’s 2016 Fire Mitigation and Forest Health Initiative.

May 2016 Workshop Proceedings May 2016 Panelist Presentations
 

Adaptive Management Plan

In March 2017 Pepperwood released our peer-reviewed Adaptive Management Plan, a comprehensive guide detailing how we steward our landscapes, and how our management practices are informed by research conducted at our preserve. A large focus of the plan is on mitigating the risks of wildfire. Best practices outlined in the document are applicable to other open spaces throughout Northern California. A special thank you to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Pepperwood donors for supporting this monumental work.

Learn More and Download
 

Hear what the community has to say about this initiative

The Bureau of Land Management considered our May 20th, 2016 Workshop collaboration a big success! Read about it in a BLM News.Bytes article by Miriam Morrill, Climate Adaptation Planner, for the BLM California State Office.

Guy Kovner and Alvin Jordana from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat covered Pepperwood's prescribed burn on June 10th, 2016. Read the story here.

 

Get the latest update on Pepperwood's Fire Mitigation and Forest Health Initiative from our blog below.

  • 9/14 – Screening of “Pepperwood: Rising from the Ashes” documentary in Santa Rosa

    Posted on September 6, 2023

    Join us at the screening of Pepperwood: Rising from the Ashes a film by Ian Anthony Nelson Thursday, September 14 · 7 – 8:30pm PDT Summerfield Cinemas 551 Summerfield Road Santa Rosa, CA 95405 LEARN MORE

    Continue reading

  • Grist Features Pepperwood: Learning How to Garden a Forest

    Posted on August 17, 2023

    “An outdated land management ideology with roots in colonialism is keeping California and the West from taking essential steps toward mitigating increasingly destructive wildfires.” This article by Kristina Rizga, is an evocative and inspirational narrative of a Sonoma County woman’s journey to stewardship featuring Pepperwood’s team and forest stewardship practices. The author’s experiences working with […]

    Continue reading

  • Cross-continental Conservation Connections

    Posted on May 15, 2023

    I recently returned from Chile, which is a country that experiences many of the same challenges that we do here, principally biodiversity loss, drought, and wildfire. I came away from this experience feeling empowered and inspired, and with a clear sense of our path forward in our globally shared dilemma of climate change.

    Continue reading

  • Embers of Awakening: From Firestorms to Climate Healing, features 5/31 at 9PM Channel 22 PBS

    Posted on May 14, 2023

    The documentary film, “Embers of Awakening”, will be shown on KRCB (television Channel 22 PBS) on Wednesday, May 31 at 9PM. Synopsis: Stories from the 2017 Tubbs/Nuns firestorms. Featured survivors include Supervisor Susan Gorin and newly elected Judge, Oscar Pardo, who was burned out in Coffee Park. Sonoma County is presented as a microcosm of […]

    Continue reading

Thank you for making Pepperwood's Fire Mitigation and Forest Health Initiative possible with your generous support!

If you'd like to support this initiative, please make a tax-deductible donation using the link below.

Donate Now