October 18 & 19, 2023
Sierra Forest Resilience and Recovery Tour
We are so pleased you have joined us on the Sierra Forest Resilience and Recovery Tour - a tour of the Northern Sierra, including the Dixie Fire Area, for select legislators and staff.
On this 2-day tour you will learn approaches to:
• improve the resilience of our forests to reduce fire risk,
• protect State waters,
• provide for nature, and
• respond to devastating fire.
Fire suppression, poor harvest practices, and restrictive forest management, along with a hotter, dryer climate, have created conditions that result in larger, more severe, and more damaging wildfires, like the 2021 Dixie Fire. The Sierra Nevada is home to over 48% of the forests in California, is 44% of California’s high risk fire areas, and has seen unprecedented wildfire in the last five years. These forests are the headwaters of 60% of California’s developed water supply and some of the last free-running salmonid streams. The rural Sierra Nevada is foundational to the entire State’s water, carbon storage, and quality of life. Your leadership is needed to advance a sustained, improved approach to managing forest resilience, protecting communities, and reducing catastrophic wildfire.
See on the ground examples of problems and solutions while touring the gorgeous Northern Sierra and Southern Cascades. Discuss with experts, fellow legislators, and legislative staff how state policies and budgets can best support smart approaches to improve forest resilience and support recovery from catastrophic wildfire. We’ll also discuss how state investment can leverage federal and private dollars to protect communities and forests from damaging wildfires.
Bus Pickup and Dropoff10th & O, Sacramento
1 Stop One: North Complex/ Camp Fire
2
3
Stop Two: Collins Pine Museum
Stop Three: Collins Pine “Park 40”
4 5
6 7
8
Stop Four: Battle Creek Meadows Ranch
Stop Five: Highlands Ranch
Stop Six: West Shore of Lake Almanor
Stop Seven: Greenville
Stop Eight: Crescent Mills
Map Legend
5 99 32 89 36 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 80 70 172 36 70 Chester Lake Almanor
Greenville Crescent Mills Oroville Chico Sacramento to Lake Tahoe Quincy
Itinerary: Day 1 – Wednesday, October 18
Arrive Depart
8:30 am 9:00 am
10:45 am 11:30 am
Bus Pickup: Welcome, introductions, and review itinerary
12:30 pm 1:30 pm
1:45 pm 3:00 pm
• Senator John Laird and Anthony Gorman, District Assistant of Senator Brian Dahle
• Sponsors American River Conservancy, Sierra Forest Legacy, Sierra Institute for Community and Environment, and The Sierra Fund
Stop One: North Complex/Camp Fire - Overview of forest health issues and repeated fire impacts
• Overview of forest health issues in the Sierra
Sue Britting, Sierra Forest Legacy
• Sierra Nevada importance to California
Emily Blackmer, Sierra Nevada Conservancy
• North Complex/Camp Fire overview and landscape scale impacts from repeated fires
Jonathan Kusel, Sierra Institute for Community and Environment
Stop Two: Collins Pine Museum & Lunch - History of logging in California
• History of logging and mill operations
Terry Collins, Collins Pine
• Lunch & explore museum
Stop Three: Collins Pine “Park 40” - Dixie Fire forest impacts, and response to treatment
• Dixie Fire Impact
Jonathan Kusel, Sierra Institute for Community and Environment
• Wildfire response to treatment
Kyle Rodgers, Sierra Institute for Community and Environment
Sue Britting, Sierra Forest Legacy
• Short hike into the grove
1 2 3
Arrive Depart
3:30 pm 4:30 pm
Stop Four: Highway 172, Battle Creek Meadows Ranch
-Forest collaboratives & landscape restoration
• Forest collaboratives and how we scale and sustain forest management: West Lassen Headwaters Project
Bella Bledsoe, Sierra Institute for Community and Environment
• Landscape investment strategy
Emily Blackmer, Sierra Nevada Conservancy
• 30 x 30 State Initiative
Elena Delacy, American River Conservancy
• Integrated forest health projects, including hydraulic mine remediation
Carrie Monohan, and Joan Clayburgh, The Sierra Fund
5:20 pm
5:20 pm
6:00 pm 7:00 pm
Stop Five: Highlands Ranch - Drinks, Dinner, and Lodging
• Orientation to Highlands Ranch and Child’s Meadow
• Sunset Cocktails on the deck at Highlands overlooking mountain meadows with Senator John Laird
• Dinner at the Highlands Ranch Dining Room
4 5
Arrive Depart
8:00 am 8:45 am
Breakfast at Highlands Ranch and departure
• Meadow restoration and Sierra Meadows PartnershipTalk over Breakfast
Carrie Monohan, and Joan Clayburgh, The Sierra Fund
9:00 am 9:15 am
10:00 am 11:00 am
11:45 am 1:15 pm
Load onto the bus
Stop Six: West Shore Lake Almanor - Pipeline of projects and tribal forest programs
• The importance of a pipeline of projects
Kyle Rodgers, Sierra Institute for Community and Environment
• Tribal crews and forest programs
Danny Manning, Asst. Fire Chief, Greenville Rancheria, TEK trainer, and Board Chair of the Roundhouse Council
Stop Seven: Greenville & Picnic - Community recovery & home hardening using cross laminated timber
• Community recovery challenges and opportunities
Danny Manning, Asst. Fire Chief, Greenville Rancheria, TEK trainer, and Board Chair of the Roundhouse Council
• New, fire-hardened, cross laminated timber homes
Payton Narancic, Sierra Institute for Community and Environment
• Picnic and explore new, cross laminated timber homes and pop-up business district
1:25 pm 2:00 pm
Stop Eight: Crescent Mills - Wood utilization campus and economic development
5:20 pm
• Indian Valley Wood Utilization Campus and Economic Development
Jonathan Kusel, Sierra Institute for Community and Environment
Arrive in Sacramento
Itinerary: Day 2 – Thursday, October 19 6 7 8 Policy Legislative Support by Kim Delfino with Earth Advocacy - 916-201-8277
Sierra Forest Resilience and Recovery Tour
October 18 & 19 2023
This tour was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Sierra Nevada Foundation fund of the El Dorado Community Foundation.