OUTCOME: Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration

Problem

The need for land conservation and restoration is orders of magnitude larger than the resources available to do the necessary work. Without regional planning and prioritization, adaptive management and monitoring, and performance measurement and reporting, resources will not be directed to projects and actions that will have the most beneficial impact.

Solution

Conservation Planning - Develop and adaptively update a regional ecosystem conservation and restoration plan and prioritize and fund its implementation.

Background and Context

The goals of various Tribal, federal, state, regional, and local plans (see Resource section) direct the conservation and restoration of natural and working lands throughout the North Coast to improve ecosystems, wildlife habitat, biodiversity, groundwater and surface water supply quantity and quality, groundwater recharge areas, climate change and extreme event resilience, and other benefits to human and natural communities. Each year brings larger, more destructive wildfires and other extreme events that magnify the need for restoration. Adaptive planning – including ongoing data collection and analysis, the application of decision support tools, targeted technical assistance, and performance evaluation – is required to effectively prioritize and implement ecosystem conservation and restoration efforts.

Following a fire there is an opportunity for a return to pre-colonial landscape restoration treatments, informed by Indigenous knowledge and practice and TEK. These treatments may include the ongoing use of beneficial fire to manage regrowth and support the restoration of meadows, oak woodlands, and other habitat types, as well as the choice of what species to use in restoration. Rather than replanting burned areas with monocultures of conifer species for future timber harvests, restoration plans should focus on creating robust, fire-resilient, and functional ecosystems that serve multiple objectives, including the inclusion of culturally important species. Post-fire restoration should not be used as an opportunity to convert meadows, wet areas, oak woodlands, and grasslands into timber plantations. It provides an opportunity to restore native grassland meadows that can also provide fuel breaks. Tribes, watershed groups, and other local CBOs should have a strong voice in restoration planning in their local communities, as well as monitoring and adaptive management.

Recommendations

To facilitate effective and efficient ecosystem conservation and restoration in the North Coast region, NCRP will support the development of a long-term implementation work plan for conserving and restoring all high-priority habitat types (forests, oak woodlands, grasslands and meadows, riparian areas, wetlands, floodplains, groundwater recharge areas, etc.), and will work with Tribes, federal and state agencies, and regional partners to fund and support the implementation of this regional Ecosystem Conservation & Restoration Plan. The plan will be regularly updated to include newly identified priorities based on changed conditions (i.e., wildfires, pests, invasive species, etc.). In keeping with the state’s Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy and regional plans like the Klamath Basin Integrated Fisheries Restoration and Monitoring Plan, this plan will include the protection, restoration, and stewardship of existing natural and working lands, and the protection and enhancement of natural and cultural resources. The acquisition and land protection components of this plan are detailed in the following Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration – Land Conservation Solution.

Actions

  • Fund an NCRP Regional Ecosystem Restoration Coordinator to coordinate the development of the plan.
  • Use this plan to guide delivery of capacity, resources, and technical assistance to Tribes and other regional partners and project sponsors who will implement on-the-ground projects.
  • Use the NCRP Project Tracker to link the prioritized portfolio of projects to funding needs, cost estimates, and potential funding sources for implementation, maintenance, and monitoring of identified projects.

  • Identify important non-traditional partners: transportation, water, economic development, timber companies, non-industrial landowners, ranchers, and other land stewards to create an integrated multi-benefit approach.
  • Agree on approach and content for developing a shared vision and a regional land conservation plan.
  • Commit to meet as an advisory body over two-year plan development period, and periodically thereafter.
  • Agree to implement plan sections relevant to their Tribe, local government, organization, or agency.
  • Actively engage with local Tribes, watershed groups, and CBOs when creating restoration plans in fire-impacted communities.
  • Consult with Tribes early to assure restoration and revitalization prescriptions include culturally significant species.

Participate in the development of a coordinated State Restoration Strategy with CNRA, Cal OES, OPR, and other federal, state, and local agencies to develop a coordinated strategy to prioritize and restore non-federal burned areas and communities as part of the state’s overall long-term recovery and resilience strategies.

Evaluate, analyze, and map where restoration and reforestation are needed to meet healthy ecosystem and carbon sequestration goals, including recovery from and resilience to extreme events.

Evaluate and map appropriate areas for afforestation for carbon sequestration and storage and advocate for funding to plan and implement this work.

Recognize that not all landscapes should be reforested, and map areas where other treatments may be preferred, such as wetland or meadow revitalization.

Create, compile, and update prioritized plans for non-forest restoration, including meadows, grasslands, riparian areas, wetlands, streams, rivers, floodplains, and groundwater recharge areas.

Ensure all planned restoration activities have an educational component to increase public understanding of past land use practices and current restoration techniques. Strategically placed long-term interpretive signage informing the public of why restoration was necessary will increase awareness of past land management and build support for and participation in local restoration activities.

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