Mentioned at last Saturday’s valley-wide meeting, forest restoration on the West Shore is underway to increase the area’s resilience to fire and other environmental hazards intensified by climate change. Based on the timeline outlined in their project overview, they are currently soliciting input from the public. Implementation is slated to begin in 2022, with an estimated average annual cost of $13 million. The restoration project includes 6 goals:
Forests recover from fire, drought, and insect outbreaks.
Fires burn at primarily low to moderate severities and provide ecological benefits.
Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems support native species.
Healthy creeks and floodplains provide clean water, complex habitat, and buffering from floods and droughts.
People live safely with fire and enjoy and steward the landscape.
Restoration is efficient, collaborative, and supports a strong economy.
For additional details on the collaborate, inter-agency project, which is scoped to restore 60K+ acres, you can visit the National Forest Foundation website.