Forest Health

Current Projects

The Sierra Foothills Forest and Climate Resilience Project – Jones Bar

*SSI Technicians seeding for erosion control post-Pleasant Fire (2022) facing the South Yuba River*

Funded by the Wildlife Conservation Board from October 2023 to March 2027, with fiscal sponsorship through Nevada County (OES)

The Project will improve forest health and reduce catastrophic wildfire risk using climate-smart management practices across multiple private and Federal parcels in rural Nevada City, California. The project area consists of the Jones Bar FireWise Community, BLM land, and three Outdoor Schools: Shady Creek, Nevada City School of the Arts (NCSA), and Camp Woolman. 625 acres will be treated across the project area, with several community events, including:

A Biochar workshop on the Woolman property for the community to participate and learn about what biochar is, how to make it, and how it is beneficial for the environment
A controlled burn event on the Woolman property for the community to learn about prescribed fire and to observe the site before and after the burn
A separate post-treatment site walk at the Woolman school
Opportunities for the public to assist with controlled burns on private parcels in the Jones Bar FireWise Community
Nevada City School of the Arts students are collecting pre and post scotch broom data on their campus
Community meetings with Nevada County OES, including a SimTable demonstration showcasing the benefit of multiple projects that tie together to improve wildfire resiliency

Ecosystem benefits through this project include forest health improvement and development of climate refugia, low-intensity fire return, improved native species diversity, and watershed protection, all with an emphasis on community engagement!

Looking to improve your own property? Read the Resource Toolkit for Landscape-Scale Management in Western Nevada County here.