2024 California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force Meeting
Overview
Southern California’s montane forests are “sky islands” of mountain habitat that feature conifers and several oak species. These forests are facing rapidly intensifying threats and disturbances that are exacerbated by climate change.
By engaging partners across the region, this project is advancing our collective understanding of the vulnerabilities and challenges facing these forests and the opportunities and strategies for increasing forests resilience.
This multi-jurisdictional project is a collaborative partnership among the U.S. Forest Service, Institute for Ecological Monitoring and Management at San Diego State University, Climate Science Alliance, and the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. Through collaborative planning sessions, guided by stakeholder input, we have developed a scientific assessment and created a conservation strategy for Southern California’s montane forests.
COMING SOON: Conservation Strategy
The Southern California Montane Forests Project's Conservation Strategy is a roadmap for increasing the resilience and persistence of Southern California's montane forests.
To learn more about the strategy and share your feedback, be sure to sign up to receive updates at tinyurl.com/southern-forests-updates
Strategy One-Pager
Project Objectives
BUILD A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Through partner engagement and collaboration, we have developed a common understanding among resource and fire managers, policy makers, the science community, Tribal partners, and other stakeholders regarding the threats to Southern California's montane forests and the benefits they provide as well as the strategies to minimize those threats.
BUILD A CLIMATE-INFORMED STRATEGY
Our project team has worked with this community of practice to:
I. Develop a Forest Conservation Strategy
This climate-informed strategy is a roadmap for sustaining montane forests in Southern California;
II. Identify Implementation Actions
The strategy is already informing planning and management efforts to enhance forest health and resilience;
III. Promote Collaboration
To accomplish the implementation actions identified in the strategy, we are promoting ongoing collaborative action and fostering the development of partnerships to improve forest resilience.