The County of Sonoma invites you to respond to a request for proposals for its Vegetation Management Grant Program.
Donor Name: County of Sonoma
State: California
County: Sonoma County (CA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/28/2024
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The Sonoma County Vegetation Management Grant Program provides resources and grant funding for vegetation management in areas at high-risk of wildfire.
Projects that involve alterations to vegetation or fuels should address how they will protect watersheds and sustain or enhance biodiversity, native species habitat, and wildlife corridors. Another objective of this grant program is to encourage collaboration between landowners and community members and state and local fire districts and organizations. Sonoma County has many resources to help identify the high-priority, high risk areas including the following
- Sonoma County Community Wildfire Prevention Plan Hub Site
- CALFIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zones (also available through Hub Site)
- Sonoma County Wildfire Fuel Mapper
- Fire Safe Sonoma
Types of Projects Considered for Funding
Projects should ideally focus on high quality, sustainable vegetation management activities and outreach, including but not limited to:
- Access & Egress
- Projects that improve safe travel on identified priority evacuation routes and firefighter access during a wildfire, including roadside vegetation management. Local fire districts can provide information about critical evacuation routes.
- Defensible Space and Community Risk Reduction
- Projects that modify vegetation to stop or slow wildfire up to 100 feet from structures and along driveways and private access roads or protect critical community infrastructure such as communications facilities, water supply, medical facilities, power grid, etc.
- Wildlands Fuel Treatment
- Modify wildland fuels (i.e., fuel breaks, prescribed burning, understory thinning, etc.) to reduce wildfire risk and enhance ecosystem services, typically more than 100′ from structures in undeveloped landscapes. Strategic fuel breaks that aim to assist firefighters slow the advance of wildfires, thus protecting homes, communities, and natural resources. Prescribed burns help to reduce fuel loads in controlled conditions. Site-appropriate understory thinning (improving tree spacing, reducing tree density and/or ladder fuels) can create space for low intensity fires to burn along forest floor and not into the canopy. All treatments should aim to maintain and enhance ecosystem health, enhance biodiversity while protecting communities.
- Community Education
- Projects that provide education to increase understanding of wildfire and wildfire risk reduction, including defensible space, structure hardening, fire ecology, fire risks, ecosystem, and forest health, and how to reduce risks effectively while enhancing environmental values and services.
- Environmental Compliance
- Preparation of environmental compliance documents such as California Vegetation Treatment Program (CAL VTPs), that increase safety and allow large landholding managers and nearby residents to achieve mutually acceptable strategies for fuels management.
Eligibility Criteria
- Nonprofit organizations
- Local Community Wildfire
- Licensedforesters
- Community groups/ Protection Plans(CWPPs)
- Technical advisors organizations
- Local fire districts
- Resource Conservation Districts
- Schools
- Tribal entities
For more information, visit County of Sonoma.
