Programs
My Sierra Woods is dedicated to reducing the likelihood of unnaturally large and severe wildfires in northern California. Right now, we are offering financial assistance to private forest landowners in our Tuolumne and southeast Calaveras focus area, to help offset the costs of fuels reduction projects.
Baseline eligibility criteria for MSW financial assistance includes:
- Fuels reduction project located in Tuolumne and Southeast Calaveras County inside the Martinez Fireshed
- Minimum of 10 acres of nonindustrial private forestland
- Project overseen by a Registered Professional Forester (RPF)
- CEQA compliance
Three financial assistance programs currently available:
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| Bundled Projects | Large Projects | Small Projects | |
| PROJECT REQUIREMENTS | Min 4 landowners or Min 150 acres | Min 20 acres | 10-19 acres |
| TREATMENT COST COVERAGE | MSW covers 100% | MSW covers 90% Landowner(s) cover(s) 10% | MSW covers 75% Landowner(s) cover(s) 25% |
Bundled Projects
A key component of our strategy is to prioritize multi-landowner project bundling opportunities. As a result of this strategy, we hope to maximize fuels reduction treatment efficacy on the landscape and realize cost-efficiencies from larger treatment project sizes. Treatment costs for bundled projects will be 100% covered by MSW financial assistance.
Bundled Project Considerations:
- Bundled projects should include at least 4 landowners, or at least 150 acres of treatable forestland. Individual landowner projects equal to or greater than 150 acres are ineligible for bundled project financial assistance, and instead should defer to Large Individual Projects.
- Bundled parcels do not need to be perfectly adjacent; bundles can include landowner parcels located within 2 miles linear distance from one another so long as they retain similar proximity/access to infrastructure.
- Treatment objectives across bundled parcels should be relatively consistent.
The MSW team will coordinate directly with foresters and participating landowners to determine if there are bundling opportunities for a potential project, and will assist with additional outreach to neighboring landowners, as needed.
Large Individual Projects
We understand that not every landowner will be willing or able to join a bundled project. For landowners with projects greater than 20 acres, MSW will cover 90% of treatment costs. Landowners will be responsible for covering 10% of treatment costs, payable directly to My Sierra Woods.
Small Individual Projects
For projects within the 10 to 19-acre range, we recommend looking into the opportunities and benefits of creating a bundled project with nearby landowners. The MSW team is available to assist with the bundling conversation and neighbor recruitment process.
If there is no interest and/or ability to set up a bundled project, MSW will cover 75% of treatment costs for projects 10-19 acres in size. The landowner will be responsible for covering 10% of treatment costs, payable directly to My Sierra Woods.
How to apply?
Applications must be submitted by the Registered Professional Forester (RPF) overseeing the project. To review and submit an application, follow this link.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to our team:
IMPORTANT NOTE: The program offers listed above were published in April 2022. These program offers are subject to change over the next few years depending on MSW grant funding and project cost fluctuations. The MSW team will update this webpage immediately if/as program offers change. Any project application submitted to MSW will need to refer to the rate posted on this webpage at the time of application submission. If the project application is approved, the applicant(s) will secure the program offer rate posted at the time of application submission – that is, the program offer rate will not change once a project application has been approved.