Range Management Advisory Committee Educational Series 2023

February - March, 2023

TBD Multiple Dates

Three years ago, the California Board of Forestry’s Range Management Advisory Committee (RMAC) initiated public information workshops about the addition of prescribed grazing as a new practice allowed under Cal Fire’s Vegetation Treatment Program for managing vegetation that produce fuel for dangerous wildfires. In previous years’ sessions we have covered the scientific evidence which supports the use of prescribed grazing for management of certain types of fuels, explained basic fuels and fire behavior concepts used by fire professionals and provided examples of projects around the state where grazing was being used for this purpose.

Information about past virtual events can be found here and here.

In collaboration with the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California Fire Science Consortium, Cal Poly and Swanton Pacific Ranch are planning this upcoming educational series focusing on the process of planning and funding grazing treatment practices for reducing fuels. While this series is slated to include three webinars and one to three field workshops (in various locations across the state), plans are underway at Cal Poly to continue these trainings throughout the calendar year.

Webinar 1: Grazing License Agreement

• Grazing planning for fuel reduction, with a special emphasis on state-managed lands: constraints, requirements, and considerations

• How agencies want graziers to utilize the permitting process

Webinar 2: Grazing Management Plans (GMP)

• Successfully implementing a well-funded GMP on state land, including monitoring and assessment

• Developing a GMP that has a good chance of being approved for funding

Webinar 3: Developing and Navigating a Grazing Agreement Request for Proposals (RFP)

• Application/request for RFP process, including development by agencies and applications by practitioners

• Connecting funding sources to the right organizations, people, places, and time

Field workshops, ideally three

• organized by region (northern, central, and southern California)

• will include on-the-ground examples of successful grazing for fuel reduction, especially where tested by wildfire.

The target audience for this series includes CALFIRE staff, state agencies, livestock practitioners with an interest in grazing these lands. The extended audience includes anyone curious about the presence of livestock on state lands and/or those interested in targeted grazing for wildfire risk reduction.

Questions? Contact:

Maurica Anderson Fitzgibbons, Fuels Management Training Program Coordinator, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Dr Kristina Wolf, Environmental Scientist, the Board of Forestry