Forest Conservation

Who can apply

NonprofitPublic AgencyTribal Government

Where: Statewide

Purpose

The Forest Conservation Program supports planning, acquisition, and restoration projects throughout California’s forests, consistent with the Board's Strategic Plan.

Description

The Program was created on November 7, 2006 with the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006 (Proposition 84). That Act charged the Board to develop a grant program and “…promote the ecological integrity and economic stability of California’s diverse native forests for all their public benefits through forest conservation, preservation, and restoration of productive managed forest lands, forest reserve areas, redwood forests and other forest types, including the conservation of water resources and natural habitat for native fish and wildlife and plants found on these lands” (PRC section 75055a). Additional funding for the Forest Conservation Program was provided by the California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018 (Proposition 68) which authorized the Board to advance “…protection, restoration, and improvement of upper watershed lands in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains, including forest lands, meadows, wetlands, chaparral, and riparian habitat, in order to protect and improve water supply and water quality, improve forest health, reduce wildfire danger, mitigate the effects of wildfires on water quality and supply, increase flood protection, or to protect or restore riparian or aquatic resources” (PRC section 80132d). Project examples include, but are not limited to: • Meadow restoration • Forest thinning (hazard fuel reduction) • Post-fire restoration • Aspen stand enhancement

Important dates

Opened

Nov 18, 2024

Application deadline

Ongoing

Expected award announcement

Continuous

Period of performance

2-4 year grant terms

Funding details

Total estimated available

$10,000,000.00

Estimated amount per award

Dependant on number of submissions received, application process, etc.

Expected number of awards

Dependant on number of submissions received, application process, etc.

Letter of intent required

Yes

Matching funds

Not Required

Matching notes

Cost share is not required but may be beneficial, in particular to complete a larger project. Applications with higher proportions of secured cost share contribution towards total project cost will score more points through the “Cost Share” application evaluation criterion.

Funding source

State

Funding source notes

$10 million of funding specific to the Sierra and Cascade mountain range watersheds. However, WCB will consider general funding sources to support forest restoration projects in watersheds outside the Sierra and Cascade mountain ranges.

Funding method

Advances & Reimbursement(s)

How to apply

Read the full guidelines on the grantor's site, then apply there. Nothing is submitted through this site.

Submission: url: https://wcb.us-1.smartsimple.com/s_Login.jsp

• Grant guidelines & application ↗
• Wildlife Conservation Board ↗
• Grantor's own update list ↗
• Original listing on grants.ca.gov ↗

Questions about this grant: name: Jen Stanfield; email: [email protected]; tel: 1-916-539-4868;