Last week, RCRC and its partners in the California Forest Watershed Alliance (CAFWA) provided comments on the Water Resilience Portfolio ahead of its initial draft release. Led by the California Natural Resources Agency, the California Environmental Protection Agency, and the California Department of Food & Agriculture, the Water Resilience Portfolio Initiative seeks input to help shape a roadmap for meeting future water needs, and ensuring environmental and economic resilience through the 21st Century.
CAFWA’s state-level recommendations include:
- A comprehensive, “all lands” approach to improving forest health covering large landscapes and all ownerships within California, including local, state, private and federal lands;
- Increasing the pace and scale of ecologically-based active forest management and prescribed fire;
- Supporting policies that increase the economic feasibility of forest restoration through biomass and new innovative wood products;
- Encouraging the use of watershed scale planning and project implementation;
- Encouraging the use of state funding and personnel to accelerate forest restoration on all lands in California, including federal lands; and,
- Increasing funding and identifying new funding sources for forest restoration from federal, state, local, and private sources.
Founded in 2014, CAFWA was formed to advocate for increasing the pace and scale of ecologically sound forest restoration projects that can help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire, and promote healthier, more resilient forests across California. CAFWA is a nonpartisan, urban-rural coalition representing water interests, local governments, the conservation community, agriculture, and the forestry sector.
CAFWA’s letter can be accessed here. CAFWA’s website can be accessed here.