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

Purpose: The intent of CAL FIRE's Forest Health Research Program is to fund scientific research that expands our knowledge in topics related to forest health and wildland fire. The outcomes of these projects will support agencies, organizations, landowners, and policy makers, while furthering the goals of the California Forest and Wildfire Resilience Action Plan and California Climate Investments. 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/ Eligible Applicants: CAL FIRE will grant funds from the Research Program to public and other nonprofit universities and affiliated academic institutions, local agencies (e.g. counties and special districts), state agencies, federal agencies, Native American tribes; private forest landowners; and non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations (e.g. fire safe councils, and land trusts). Eligible Geographies: Projects must be focused on and relevant to California forests and other ecosystems and their management. A significant portion of the geographic area proposed for study must be contained within California and may include adjacent lands contiguous and representative of California sites. Any sites external to California and discontinuous to study areas within the state require justification. Study areas may not be located outside the United States

• PSCEnvironment & Water, Science, Technology, and Research & Development

• Grant guidelines

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  fhresearch@fire.ca.gov