CAL FIRE Forest Health Research Program (FY 2020-21 & FY2021-22)

The Forest Health Research Program (hereafter “Research Program”) was established as part of CAL FIRE’s plan for implementing the California Forest Carbon Plan. It is one of several CAL FIRE programs funded through the California Climate Investments (CCI) program, Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The mission of the Research Program is: To identify and prioritize research topics in forest health and fire science critical to the State of California To fund sound scientific studies that support forest landowners, resource agencies, and fire management organizations within the state To ensure scientific information generated from the program is made available to support decision making and policy To further the goals of the California Forest Carbon Plan, the California Natural and Working Lands Implementation Plan, CCI, and AB 32 Global Warming Solutions Act. The Forest Health Research Program operates in conjunction with the Forest Health Program but draws from a separate source of funds. The program, procedures and requirements apply only to “stand-alone research” projects, where research-related activities are the only activities proposed. Research activities are no longer eligible as a component of larger Forest Health projects The following topics have been identified as priorities for study for the Research Program for FY 2020-21 and 2021-22. Proposed research must address one or more of these priority topics. Research projects should be focused on and relevant to California ecosystems and their management. Disturbance, recovery, and strategies for forest resilience in an altered future climate. Implementation, effectiveness, impacts, and tradeoffs of alternative management strategies to reduce wildfire risk, increase carbon storage, improve biodiversity, improve water and air quality, and provide regional economic benefits. Natural, historical and contemporary range of variation in fire regimes (i.e., frequency, seasonality, size, spatial complexity, intensity, severity, and fire type), forest conditions and distributions, and wildfire-related greenhouse gas emissions in California ecosystems, particularly those less well studied. Forest products and utilization of forest residues related to fuel reduction and forest health treatments. Human dimensions and socio-economic considerations related to forest health and management. Improved prediction of wildland fire spread, behavior, and potential impacts, particularly under extreme weather conditions and within the wildland-urban interface. Please see Appendix B of the Forest Health Program Grant Guidelines for FY 2020-2021 & FY 2021-2022 for a more thorough description of this grant cycle's Research Priority Topics. The Grant Guidelines Document and other application resources can be found at the Forest Health Grants Website here: https://www.fire.ca.gov/grants/forest-health-grants/

Eligibility

• Programs related to forestry
• Programs related to climate

Award details

Applications close on June 7, 2021.

Categories

Disaster Recovery