Why are we conducting this survey?
The State of California has developed a series of statewide plans for the management of forests and other lands, including the goals laid out in the California Forest Carbon Plan, Draft Natural and Working Lands Implementation Plan, State Wildlife Action Plan, and California Water Plan, among others. Achieving these goals will require an increase in the pace and scale of management activities throughout the State. The State relies on organizations operating at local and regional scales to implement land management. This survey will allow the State to gain a better understanding of where land management organizations are located, the management practices they prioritize,  and their capacity to scale-up their current efforts to help meet State goals.

What is included in this survey?
We are seeking information on current and planned management activities, management activity costs, current and potential implementation capacity, management priorities, and goals for future management.

Who is the intended audience?
We hope to receive responses from tribes, resource conservation districts, local governments, fire safe councils, collaboratives, watershed councils, and other organizations that currently work on, or want to work on, implementation of forest management, fire-related vegetation management, and natural lands restoration in California, at scales ranging from an individual neighborhood to a regional landscape. This survey defines “implementing organizations” are those employing staff, volunteers, and/or contractors to manage vegetation. Only one person per organization should complete this survey. We are not using this survey to collect information on State or Federal government activities and State or Federal government employees should not respond to this survey unless doing so as a representative of a collaborative or other organization operating at a local or regional scale.

How is this different from other recent surveys?
Several other surveys and assessments have recently been conducted in California, including the Forest and/or Fire Capacity and Needs Assessment, barriers to prescribed fire implementation, and a survey of impediments and opportunities in forest management conducted by the Forest Management and Restoration Working Group of the Forest Management Task Force in late 2018. We thank you for your participation in these other efforts, which have produced valuable insights into forest management needs. This survey will build on those efforts to focus on why organizations are managing forests (e.g., defend infrastructure, restore habitat, etc.), the costs of implementing management, and goals for future management activity. This information is needed in order to see how local priorities align with State goals and design more effective policy and implementation programs to meet those goals.

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* 1. Please select the option below that best describes your organization:

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* 2. Provide the approximate percentage of your organization’s forest and other vegetation management work that occurs in each county (by acreage, to the nearest 5-10% if possible). When entering a response, do not include the "%" symbol. For example, enter fifty percent as "50".

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* 3. Provide the approximate percentage of your organization’s forest and other vegetation management work that occurs among the following list of ecosystem types (by acreage, to the nearest 5-10% if possible). When entering a response, do not include the "%" symbol. For example, enter fifty percent as "50".

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* 4. Thinking about the forest landscape as a spectrum ranging from near the built environment to far from the built environment, select the option that best describes the environment where your organization does its forest and/or other vegetation management. Choose only one.

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* 5. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the following objectives that best describe your organization’s goals and priorities for the forest and/or vegetation management practices. Examples: (a) 90 pts for protect homes + 10 points for protect carbon, or (b) 50 points for restore ecosystems + 30 for water + 20 protect from climate change.

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* 6. Please describe your organization’s goals for its forest and/or vegetation management work.

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* 7. Mark the column that best represents the approximate number of acres of each management practice your organization expects to implement PER YEAR over the next 2-3 years, where “implement” is defined as employing staff, volunteers, or contractors to conduct a practice.

  1-25 26-50 50-100 100-250 251-500 501-1,000 1,001-5,000 5,001-10,000 >10,000
Defensible space/hazard tree removal

Removal of hazardous or potentially flammable vegetation within 100 ft of structures or infrastructure. (100 ft on each side of a structure = 1 acre)
Non-shaded fuelbreak (includes clearance along roadsides or utility right of way)

Removal of crown, ladder, and surface fuels in order to slow or stop the spread of wildland fire; vegetation is not retained. (20 ft clearance on each side of a road (40 ft total width) is about 5 acres per linear mile).
Shaded fuelbreak /Understory clearing

Some trees and other vegetation and fuels are removed to create a shaded fuelbreak or defensible space in an area to reduce the potential for wildfires and the damage they might cause.  Minimum stocking standards within the operating area are met immediately after harvest.
Cultural burning

Application of fire to the environment to predominantly to achieve cultural objectives.
Prescribed burning

Prescribed burning for fire fuel reduction and ecological restoration.
Prescribed grazing

Managing the harvest of vegetation with grazing and/or browsing animals with the intent to achieve specific ecological, economic, and management objectives.
Forest even-aged management

Even-aged management, including Clear Cut, Seed Tree,  and Shelterwood methods, as defined in the California Forest Practices Rules.
Forest uneven-aged management

Management of a specific forest with the goal of establishing a well-stocked stand of various age classes and permitting the periodic harvest of individual or small groups of trees to realize the yield and continually establish a new crop; includes Selection, Group Selection, and Transition methods as defined in the California Forest Practices Rules.
Intermediate forest treatment (includes pest management)

Harvests conducted to modify or guide the development of an existing stand, but not to replace (regenerate) the stand with a new one, includes Commercial Thinning and Sanitation-Salvage (Pest Management) as defined in the California Forest Practice Rules.
Less intensive forest management (includes carbon offsets projects, improved forest management easements)

A change in forest management practices to a less intensive harvest regime, from even-aged management to uneven-aged management (partial cut) or areas of no harvest (reserve areas).
Land Protection

Protection of natural and working lands against conversion to development through the establishment of easements, acquisitions, fee title, or other activities. Includes the creation of wildlife corridors and habitat links.
Reforestation/ forest area expansion

Establishing forest and restoring ecosystem health by planting native and climate-adapted trees to prevent conversion of forest ecosystems to shrub or grassland and advance carbon storage within the landscape.
Mountain meadow restoration

Restoration of meadows in mountain regions. This includes a land type change from shrubland, grassland, and savanna to meadow and woodland.
Oak woodland restoration

Reestablishment of oak woodlands on grasslands and cultivated lands where oaks have been depleted due to land conversion, removal, or wildfire.
Desert, grassland, shrubland, or chaparral restoration and management

A suite of management practices that balance restoration, protection, and fuel management of desert, grassland, chaparral and other non-forested lands.
Wetland restoration

Restoration or creation of wetlands in coastal areas, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, or other low-lying areas.

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* 8. Enter the approximate cost per acre (dollars per acre) for your organization to conduct each of the management practices your organization expects to implement over the next 2-3 years. Please report net cost, with net revenue-generating activities entered as negative values. If possible, exclude costs related to planning (e.g., RPF time, plan writing), administration, and maintenance (e.g., roads, stream crossings).

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* 9. When the implementation of practices listed in the preceding question will generate woody residues (including small diameter trees, limbs and tops from merchantable trees, and shrubs), what approximate percentage (by weight) of those residues will have the following fates? Leave blank if not applicable. When entering a response, do not include the "%" symbol. For example, enter fifty percent as "50".

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* 10. If funding availability was not a barrier to implementation, mark the column that best represents the number of acres of each management practice your organization would be able to implement PER YEAR over the next 2-3 years to meet organizational or regional plans or priorities. “Implement” is defined as employing staff, volunteers, or contractors to conduct a practice.

  1-25 26-50 50-100 100-250 251-500 501-1,000 1,001-5,000 5,001-10,000 >10,000
Defensible space/hazard tree removal

Removal of hazardous or potentially flammable vegetation within 100 ft of structures or infrastructure. (100 ft on each side of a structure = 1 acre)
Non-shaded fuelbreak (includes clearance along roadsides or utility right of way)

Removal of crown, ladder, and surface fuels in order to slow or stop the spread of wildland fire; vegetation is not retained. (20 ft clearance on each side of a road (40 ft total width) is about 5 acres per linear mile).
Shaded fuelbreak /Understory clearing

Some trees and other vegetation and fuels are removed to create a shaded fuelbreak or defensible space in an area to reduce the potential for wildfires and the damage they might cause.  Minimum stocking standards within the operating area are met immediately after harvest.
Cultural burning

Application of fire to the environment to predominantly to achieve cultural objectives.
Prescribed burning

Prescribed burning for fire fuel reduction and ecological restoration.
Prescribed grazing

Managing the harvest of vegetation with grazing and/or browsing animals with the intent to achieve specific ecological, economic, and management objectives.
Forest even-aged management

Even-aged management, including Clear Cut, Seed Tree,  and Shelterwood methods, as defined in the California Forest Practices Rules.
Forest uneven-aged management

Management of a specific forest with the goal of establishing a well-stocked stand of various age classes and permitting the periodic harvest of individual or small groups of trees to realize the yield and continually establish a new crop; includes Selection, Group Selection, and Transition methods as defined in the California Forest Practices Rules.
Intermediate forest treatment (includes pest management)

Harvests conducted to modify or guide the development of an existing stand, but not to replace (regenerate) the stand with a new one, includes Commercial Thinning and Sanitation-Salvage (Pest Management) as defined in the California Forest Practice Rules.
Less intensive forest management (includes carbon offsets projects, improved forest management easements)

A change in forest management practices to a less intensive harvest regime, from even-aged management to uneven-aged management (partial cut) or areas of no harvest (reserve areas).
Land Protection

Protection of natural and working lands against conversion to development through the establishment of easements, acquisitions, fee title, or other activities. Includes the creation of wildlife corridors and habitat links.
Reforestation/ forest area expansion

Establishing forest and restoring ecosystem health by planting native and climate-adapted trees to prevent conversion of forest ecosystems to shrub or grassland and advance carbon storage within the landscape.
Mountain meadow restoration

Restoration of meadows in mountain regions. This includes a land type change from shrubland, grassland, and savanna to meadow and woodland.
Oak woodland restoration

Reestablishment of oak woodlands on grasslands and cultivated lands where oaks have been depleted due to land conversion, removal, or wildfire.
Desert, grassland, shrubland, or chaparral restoration and management

A suite of management practices that balance restoration, protection, and fuel management of desert, grassland, chaparral and other non-forested lands.
Wetland restoration

Restoration or creation of wetlands in coastal areas, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, or other low-lying areas.

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* 11. Enter the approximate number of acres of each management practice your organization would like to implement PER YEAR to meet organizational or regional plans or priorities in the period of time 5-10 years from now (between 2025 to 2030), where “implement” is defined as employing staff, volunteers, or contractors to conduct a practice.

  1-25 26-50 50-100 100-250 251-500 501-1,000 1,001-5,000 5,001-10,000 >10,000
Defensible space/hazard tree removal

Removal of hazardous or potentially flammable vegetation within 100 ft of structures or infrastructure. (100 ft on each side of a structure = 1 acre)
Non-shaded fuelbreak (includes clearance along roadsides or utility right of way)

Removal of crown, ladder, and surface fuels in order to slow or stop the spread of wildland fire; vegetation is not retained. (20 ft clearance on each side of a road (40 ft total width) is about 5 acres per linear mile).
Shaded fuelbreak /Understory clearing

Some trees and other vegetation and fuels are removed to create a shaded fuelbreak or defensible space in an area to reduce the potential for wildfires and the damage they might cause.  Minimum stocking standards within the operating area are met immediately after harvest.
Cultural burning

Application of fire to the environment to predominantly to achieve cultural objectives.
Prescribed burning

Prescribed burning for fire fuel reduction and ecological restoration.
Prescribed grazing

Managing the harvest of vegetation with grazing and/or browsing animals with the intent to achieve specific ecological, economic, and management objectives.
Forest even-aged management

Even-aged management, including Clear Cut, Seed Tree,  and Shelterwood methods, as defined in the California Forest Practices Rules.
Forest uneven-aged management

Management of a specific forest with the goal of establishing a well-stocked stand of various age classes and permitting the periodic harvest of individual or small groups of trees to realize the yield and continually establish a new crop; includes Selection, Group Selection, and Transition methods as defined in the California Forest Practices Rules.
Intermediate forest treatment (includes pest management)

Harvests conducted to modify or guide the development of an existing stand, but not to replace (regenerate) the stand with a new one, includes Commercial Thinning and Sanitation-Salvage (Pest Management) as defined in the California Forest Practice Rules.
Less intensive forest management (includes carbon offsets projects, improved forest management easements)

A change in forest management practices to a less intensive harvest regime, from even-aged management to uneven-aged management (partial cut) or areas of no harvest (reserve areas).
Land Protection

Protection of natural and working lands against conversion to development through the establishment of easements, acquisitions, fee title, or other activities. Includes the creation of wildlife corridors and habitat links.
Reforestation/ forest area expansion

Establishing forest and restoring ecosystem health by planting native and climate-adapted trees to prevent conversion of forest ecosystems to shrub or grassland and advance carbon storage within the landscape.
Mountain meadow restoration

Restoration of meadows in mountain regions. This includes a land type change from shrubland, grassland, and savanna to meadow and woodland.
Oak woodland restoration

Reestablishment of oak woodlands on grasslands and cultivated lands where oaks have been depleted due to land conversion, removal, or wildfire.
Desert, grassland, shrubland, or chaparral restoration and management

A suite of management practices that balance restoration, protection, and fuel management of desert, grassland, chaparral and other non-forested lands.
Wetland restoration

Restoration or creation of wetlands in coastal areas, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, or other low-lying areas.

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* 12. Indicated the approximate number of acres PER YEAR your organization expects to implement under each of the following environmental review documents over the next 2-3 years:

  1-25 26-50 50-100 100-250 251-500 501-1,000 1,001-5,000 5,001-10,000 >10,000
Timber Harvest Plan
Other Forest Practice Plan (Non-Industrial Timber Management Plan, Working Forest Management Plan)
Forest Practice Exemption
California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP)
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Notice of Exemption
CEQA Environmental Impact Report (EIR) or CEQA Mitigated Negative Declaration
National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) Categorical Exclusion
Other NEPA document (Environmental Assessment (EA), Environmental Impact Statement (EIS))

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* 13. Has your organization received or applied for funding, cost-share, or technical assistance from a state, federal, or local public agency over the last 2-3 years (mark one)?

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* 14. In regard to the programs reference in the previous question, do you have any comments on the effectiveness of these programs?

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* 15. Please provide the following information about your organization, collaborative, or tribe.

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* 16. Do we have your permission to share your survey answers with members of the academic community that may be interested in using this data for forest policy research purposes?

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