Third Annual Sustainable Management of California’s Fire-Prone Landscapes: Grazing for Community Resilience
The Range Management Advisory Committee, an advisory body to the California Natural Resources Agency under the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, co-hosted a virtual workshop with the California Fire Science Consortium to discuss the use of prescribed livestock grazing as a tool to support sustainable fuel reduction and environmental management in multi-use landscapes. This year focused on the ins and outs of contract/targeted grazing on public and private lands in the wildland-urban interface and other at-risk communities.
Three separate workshops highlighted case studies of successful grazing contracts and partnerships across the state. The workshops took place virtually on July 29, August 5, and August 12, 2021.
Workshop schedule:
July 29, 2021
Watch recording here >
The July 29th session included an introduction by UCCE livestock advisor Dan Macon on the topic of targeted, contract, and fee-for-service grazing, with a focus on fire risk mitigation. This session, along with the following two sessions, included presentations on case studies from across California with both livestock managers and their contracting partners discussing their planning and implementation of grazing projects for vegetation and ecosystem management. Basic terms, concepts, and how the information can be used for strategic planning.
August 5, 2021
This session highlighted two case studies of successful partnerships in both Ventura and Merced County.
August 12, 2021
Watch the recording here >
The August 12th session included two case studies like the previous sessions, followed by representatives from Ascent Environmental, who are assisting the Board of Forestry & Fire Protection in the development and funding of Project-Specific Analyses (PSAs) for Cal Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP) projects. The presenters led a discussion on grazing as a covered activity under the CalVTP, funding for completion of PSAs, eligible projects, and the use of the CalVTP Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for CalVTP projects.
