What We Do
Sierra Nevada Watershed Improvement Program (WIP)
Our keystone initiative, the Sierra Nevada Watershed Improvement Program (WIP), is a large-scale, holistic effort to restore resilience to the forested landscapes and communities of the Sierra Nevada.
With forest health as the foundation, the WIP weaves together four priorities: restoring healthy ecosystems, improving community resilience, promoting sustainable recreation and tourism, and conserving natural and working lands.
2021 Immediate Action Grants
In July 2021, we funded 15 shovel-ready projects using $19 million from April’s Early Action Wildfire and Forest Resilience Budget.
How the WIP is Restoring Resilience
Doing Work on the Ground
We fund regional partners to complete projects that reduce wildfire risk, improve recreation access, protect biodiversity, and more. To date, we have awarded over $120 million and partnered with other government entities to distribute over $20 million more.
Good fire project protects Caples watershed from Caldor Fire
SNC launches $25 million grant round, funds giant sequoia restoration project
Fire Adapted 50 project protects communities from Caldor Fire
Building Capacity
We work with local organizations to build workforce and organizational capacity that generate a pipeline of restoration projects. Building capacity is key not only to increasing the pace and scale of forest restoration but also to supporting rural Sierra Nevada economies.
Feather River Resource Conservation District's capacity for resilience
SNC funds prescribed fire & cultural burning training project
Watershed Improvement Program builds capacity in eastern Sierra
Advancing Science and Policy
We support cutting-edge scientific research projects and actively engage on technical and policy advisory groups. We use regional knowledge to advance forest management strategies and to inform decisionmakers about challenges and opportunities to improve resilience in the Sierra Nevada.
Regional Challenges, State Priorities
Sierra Nevada forests are unhealthy, vulnerable to damaging wildfires and an accelerating climate crisis. Local communities and economies are at risk. And it’s not just the Sierra Nevada, California’s water security, outdoor access, biodiversity, and climate leadership all depend upon healthy, resilient Sierra forests.
Learn more about these challenges and priorities:
The WIP Stands Ready
The WIP is poised to increase the pace and scale of work in the Sierra Nevada. We are tracking millions of dollars in shovel-ready projects, and projects in development, through the nearly 40 collaborative groups our staff are engaged in.
Urgent Issues, Urgent Action
The relationships and collaboratives built through WIP have positioned the SNC to quickly and effectively put state funding on the ground to address some of the region’s, and California’s, most pressing concerns.
In April 2021, state policymakers passed the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Early Action Package, which allocated $19 million to SNC for local assistance. We swiftly awarded all $19 million to fund 15 shovel-ready projects throughout the region. Most of these projects will start in the summer of 2021.
2021 Immediate Action Grants
$19 M
awarded
15
active projects
Convene, Collaborate, Innovate, Invest
The WIP brings people together to identify shared interests and novel approaches to common forest and watershed health challenges. It is holistic and collaborative by design, investing in projects that protect the Sierra Nevada region and the multiple benefits it provides for all Californians.
WIP Programs at Work
Tahoe-Central Sierra Initiative
SNC co-founded the Tahoe-Central Sierra Initiative (TCSI) in 2017. TCSI partners are working across jurisdictions to plan science-based, landscape-level forest resilience projects, secure state, federal and private funding, and coordinate work on the ground across 2.4 million acres.
RFFCP in the Sierra Nevada
The Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program (RFFCP) in the Sierra Nevada is an innovative new program that is increasing regional capacity to prioritize, develop, and implement landscape-level forest health and wildfire resiliency projects. This program will help build the human and organizational infrastructure to fully implement the WIP throughout the Sierra Nevada.
WIP Grant Program
Through the WIP Grant Program, we issue grants to public agencies, nonprofits, and eligible tribes for projects that restore, protect, and enhance Sierra Nevada watersheds and communities. Our strong partnerships allow us to efficiently put state funding on the ground to restore forest health, reduce wildfire risk, and improve climate resilience.
“When we break down silos, we can find novel solutions. It’s why bringing people together with a wide range of perspectives is at the heart of the WIP.”
Chief Deputy Executive Officer
Recent News
2021: Another historic Sierra Nevada fire season
2021 broke last year’s record for acres burned in the Sierra Nevada. Recent megafires are so destructive they are unlike anything seen in the historical record.
Five wildfire recovery strategies for the Sierra Nevada
After facing record-breaking fire seasons, we’ve identified five strategies that respond to the region’s recovery needs and build resilience for the next fire.
Good fire project protects Caples watershed from Caldor Fire
The Caples Project was one of the largest treated areas in the Caldor Fire burn area, which remained resilient despite extreme heat and drought in 2021.