North Bay Forest Improvement Program

Conservation Works, in partnership with the Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) of Sonoma, Gold Ridge, Mendocino, and Napa counties and Clear Lake Environmental Center of Lake County, is offering the North Bay Forest Improvement Program (NBFIP) to forest landowners across the four-county North Bay region. This program is made possible thanks to $5.9 million in funding awarded through two CAL FIRE Wildfire Resilience and Forestry Assistance block grants.

This program brings critical resources to treat wildfire hazards on private properties throughout the region, with a focus on serving disadvantaged communities. The NBFIP supports the planning and implementation of projects on private forested lands to reduce the risks of wildfire and promote forest health. The program provides financial incentives to landowners to conduct this critical work.

How can you get involved?

The North Bay Forest Improvement Program is an incentives program, similar to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the California Forest Improvements Program, providing public funds to support private investment in forest health and resilience projects; reducing vegetative fuel loads and risks of wildfire, insect infestation, and disease epidemics on private properties in the North Bay’s diverse and valuable forestlands. See below for more details.

Thank you for all the applications submitted through our July 15th deadline. Our next application period will be opening January 16th- January 30th. You can find more information as the next application period draws near on this page or through the North Bay Forest Improvement Program website.

Sonoma County NBFIP Flyer

Read through the application assistance flyer here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of this program?
The North Bay Forest Improvement Program was created to provide public funds to support private investment in forest health and resilience projects to reduce vegetative fuel loads and risks of wildfire, insect infestation, and disease epidemics on private properties in the North Bay’s diverse and valuable forestlands. The intent of the program is to increase the pace, scale and effectiveness of forest treatments in the North Bay Area by incentivising and supporting private non-industrial landowners to implement beneficial forest improvements where they would not otherwise be possible because of financial hardship. Assisting landowners in census designated disadvantaged communities is a priority of the program.

How is this program funded?
This program is made possible thanks to $5.9 million dollars in funding awarded through CALFIRE’s Wildfire Resilience and Forestry Assistance grant. This project is focused on providing funding for eligible entities (such as RCDs and environmental nonprofits) to provide technical and financial assistance to forestland owners. The purpose of the funding is to allow grantees the ability to provide a program of financial and technical forestry assistance to nonindustrial forest landowners, where the grantee serves as the supervising entity, receives the grant from CAL FIRE and then provides outreach and/or technical/financial assistance to landowners so they can conduct forest restoration or management activities on their property. Conservation Works is the proud to administer this grant, in partnership with the Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) of Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, and Napa counties and Clear Lake Environmental Center (CLERC). This pilot program is now serving as a model for other regions across the state.

What kind of applicant is a good fit for this program?
See Am I eligible to participate?

What are incentive dollars?
In the North Bay Forest Improvement Program, incentive dollars are cash payments to landowners for beneficial forest management activities performed on-the-ground, such as tree thinning or planting. Incentive payment rates are specific to treatment activities and are listed in Payment Rates and Covered Activities. Actual costs of treatments are based on market research and may not match your contractor’s cost estimate. For a participant to receive incentive dollars, they must first have their on-the-ground activities verified. After payment has been dispersed to the landowner and the landowner has paid the contractor, the landowner must retain proof of payment in the form of a paid vendor receipt. Landowners who choose to fulfill NBFIP contracts by conducting work themselves must keep track of the time they spent implementing treatments. Rebuild North Bay Foundation, as the official contract holder with Cal Fire, retains the right to audit these records up to five years from the payment date. For more on program incentive payments and project costs, please see Payment Rates and Covered Activities.

What will participating in this program cost me?
NBFIP pays fixed rates for beneficial forest practices. The payment rates available in this program were developed by establishing “cap-rates” or the rate at which similar projects can generally be assumed to cost, through consultation with local foresters and contractors in the four county project area. If the applicant’s property is located in a census-designated disadvantaged community, approximately 80% of treatment costs will be paid by incentive dollars, leaving an estimated 20% of project costs to be funded by the applicant. If the applicant’s property is located outside of a disadvantaged community, approximately 60% of treatment costs will be paid by incentive dollars, leaving an estimated 40% of project costs to be funded by the applicant. The final cost will vary depending on how closely your contractor’s costs match the program’s determined cap rates. If you are working with a forester, the forester may charge for their time applying to the program on your behalf or assisting in other ways. For more on program incentive payments and project costs, please see the Payment Rates and Covered Activities.

How do I apply?
You can complete a project application through the North Bay Forest Improvement Program Website. Thank you to all who applied, for anyone who is interested in the next application period, it will open January 16th – January 30th.

Does having an EQIP contract disqualify me?
No, it does not disqualify you. If you have an EQIP contract, past or present, you will not be disqualified. Please provide your current verified EQIP agreements with NRCS in your application. You must agree that you will not accept incentive dollars above the full cost of implementing your project.

Please note: Applicants that can treat additional acres by combining incentive dollars from multiple incentives programs will earn higher points in the application review process. Express that this is your plan in your application.

Does my project need environmental review permits?
Yes, projects are required to comply with CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act). The RCD will act as the lead agency. Projects will be required to avoid impacts to cultural and biological resources, in order to comply with this requirement, an assessment of impacts to sensitive species (query of the California Natural Diversity Database), and archaeological/cultural resources (archaeological records request from the Northwest Information Center), will be required prior to project implementation. The responsibility of fulfilling this requirement, and covering the costs of associated permits for implementation, is on the applicant. Projects will also be required to follow general avoidance guidelines that are outlined in the prescriptions document.

The application asks if my project is located in a Disadvantaged Community or Severely Disadvantaged Community. How do I find the answer?
The following two resources can be utilized for locating disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged communities:

Community FactFinder from Parks for California (Be sure to check the layer “Disadvantaged Community” on the map)
DAC Mapping Tool from CA State Water Board (Be sure to check the layer “Disadvantaged Communities -Block Groups (2018)”)

Your local RCD may have other technical assistance opportunities available to you. Contact your county’s office for more information.

The application asks what USGS topographic quadrangle my project is located in. How do I find the answer?
You can find your project’s location on the USGS Topographic Quadrangle Map. Click the link to open the map. Use the + and – buttons in the upper left corner to zoom out until you can see your location. Zoom in to your location until you see the quadrangle grid appear. Each quad has a name in green font (ex: Middletown; Jericho Valley). Record the name of the quad where your project is located in the application.

When is the application deadline?
Thank you to all applicants for your interest in the North Bay Forest Improvement Program. If you missed our previous application window or are interested in applying in the future, please note our next open application window will be September 25 – October 25th. You can apply via the North Bay Forest Improvement Program Website.

How long does it take to complete a project?
The total time it takes to complete a project depends on your contractor’s availability. Ideally, work will be completed within one year from when you were awarded funding.

When will I receive payments for completed work?

Conservation Works will pay landowners soon after on-the-ground work has been verified. We estimate payments will be received within 60 days of notification of completion by the landowner, as long as completed work meets the standards agreed upon prior to implementation.

Who is my local contact?
Each of the four north bay counties has a single NBFIP contact person. See Contacts by county here.

Am I Eligible to Participate?

The North Bay Forest Improvement Program (NBFIP) was created to provide public funds to support private investment in forest health and resilience projects to reduce vegetative fuel loads and risks of wildfire, insect infestation, and disease epidemics on private properties in the North Bay’s diverse and valuable forestlands. The intent of the program is to increase the pace, scale, and effectiveness of forest treatments in the north bay area by incentivizing and supporting landowners with partial reimbursement payments to implement planned treatments where they would not otherwise be possible because of financial hardship. Assisting landowners in disadvantaged communities is a priority of the program.

To read the full list of eligibility requirements please visit the North Bay Forest Improvement Program website here: https://www.northbayforestimprovementprogram.com/eligibility

Payment Rates & Covered Activities

The intent of the program is to increase the pace, scale and effectiveness of forest treatments in the North Bay area by incentivizing and supporting landowners with partial payments to implement planned treatments where they would not otherwise be possible because of financial hardship. This is achieved through incentive dollars.

What are incentive dollars?

In the North Bay Forest Improvement Program, incentive dollars are cash payments to landowners for beneficial forest management activities performed on-the-ground, such as tree thinning or planting. Incentive payment rates are specific to treatment activities and are listed on the NBFIP Payment Cap Rates sheet. Actual costs of treatments are based on market research and may not match your contractor’s cost estimate. For a participant to receive incentive dollars, they must first have their on-the-ground activities verified.

Combining incentives

Applicants who wish to match NBFIP incentives dollars with dollars from another incentives program, such as EQIP, must provide their current verified agreements in their application. Please note: Applicants that can treat additional acres by combining incentive dollars from multiple incentives programs will earn higher points in the application review process. Express that this is your plan in your application. Incentive dollars can’t be combined with other grant or incentives dollars to pay for more than 100% of the project cost in any case.

About payment rates

NBFIP will pay a percentage of the cap rate, which is variable and based on disadvantaged community (DAC) or Severely Disadvantaged Community (SDAC) status. Projects within DAC or SDAC will receive payments for beneficial practices at 80% of the established cap rate. Projects outside of DAC or SDAC will receive payments for beneficial practices at 60% of the established cap rate. Projects outside of DAC may have the option to accept a lesser payment rate to increase their prioritization ranking. Applicants can indicate that this is their intention in their application.

Assisting landowners in disadvantaged communities is a priority of the program. If the applicant’s property is located in a disadvantaged community (DAC) or Severely Disadvantaged Community (SDAC), additional opportunities are available to them. These communities are identified by the state of California. For locating DAC and SDAC areas, you can use the following mapping tools:

Community FactFinder from Parks for California (Be sure to check the layer “Disadvantaged Community” on the map)
DAC Mapping Tool from CA State Water Board (Be sure to check the layer “Disadvantaged Communities -Block Groups (2018)”)
Prescription Cap Rates Document

*Projects outside of DAC may have the option to accept a lesser payment rate to increase their prioritization ranking.

For more information and resources please follow this link to the NBFIP Payment Rates and Covered Activities Page.

How do I Apply?

While it is not required to have a forester to apply for this program, we suggest that applicants get the help of their forester to fill out the application. If you have any questions, you may contact your county’s RCD office for help.

Applications are now closed; our next application period will be January 16th – January 30th. You can find the application through the North Bay Forest Improvement Program Website linked here.

Your local RCD may have other technical assistance opportunities available to you. Contact your county’s office for more information. If your application was not accepted in one cycle due to limited funds, please indicate in your application that you would like your project to be considered again in the following cycle. Batching periods are every spring and fall.

Program Introduction and Application Support

If you need any assistance with your application or would like to learn a little bit more about the North Bay Forest Improvement Program, please watch the following educational YouTube video.