Sonoma Ecology Center Wildfire Resilience Program

This project partners six organizations to reduce wildfire risk to people and nature by conducting ecologically informed mechanical fuels management on ~2,000 acres at 12 public and protected sites in High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones across Sonoma County and southern Mendocino County. Ecologically informed fuels removal, prescribed grazing, and prescribed fire will be conducted on approx. 500 ac and 15 miles of road and trail. All sites provide significant public benefits including programs for under-served or disadvantaged communities. Some are adjacent to populated areas at high risk from fire. The project provides durable, sustainable benefits, by retaining tree canopy, avoiding and repairing weed invasions, fostering the next generation of land stewards including prescribed fire practitioners, enabling ongoing education and recreation, and creating forests and woodlands with larger and healthier trees. Combining multiple implementers in one project enables us to share knowledge through 3 shared training workshops.