Participant Eligibility

North Bay Forest Improvement Program

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.

Applicant Eligibility

At the most basic level, a participant is eligible to participate if they meet the following criteria:

  • The applicant is the landowner or another agent (land manager, forester) with the approval of the landowner to apply. Properties held in a Trust and LLCs are also eligible applicants.

  • The property is forestland containing any of the following vegetation types: oak woodland, redwood forests, mixed evergreen, ponderosa pine.

  • The property is at least five (5) acres and less than 500 acres.

  • The applicant can afford the treatment after incentive payment. For more on program incentive payments and project costs, please see Payment Rates and Covered Activities

Project Eligibility

Projects under NBFIP are only eligible if they include one or more of the following activities:

  • Preparation of a Forest Management Plan by a Registered Professional Forester (RPF)

    • Only available if property falls within Disadvantaged or Severely Disadvantaged Communities (DAC or SDAC, respectively). 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)”)

  • The project area must be at least one acre in size

  • Reforestation activities, such as;

    • Site preparation

    • Tree purchase and planting

    • Tree shelters

  • Forest stand improvement activities, such as

    • Shaded fuel breaks

    • Oak woodland restoration

    • Thinning “release” treatments

    • Pruning

  • Follow-up fuel hazard reduction activities, such as;

  • mastication/chipping or pile-burning.

A Good Fit

An applicant is a good fit for the program if they meet these criteria:

  • They are dedicated to managing their forestland sustainably.

  • They have created a forest management plan or a similar guide with a forester, identifying management units and planned treatments.

  • They have completed an environmental review to meet California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements.

  • Their property is in a Disadvantaged Community (DAC) or Severely Disadvantaged Community (SDAC).

  • They cannot implement treatments without financial help from the incentives program.

The program prioritizes assisting landowners in disadvantaged communities. Additional opportunities are available for properties in DAC or SDAC areas, as identified by the state of California. Applicants can use mapping tools like Community FactFinder and the DAC Mapping Tool to find their community's status. They can also request help from a Registered Professional Forester (RPF) to prepare a Forest Management Plan.