Range Management Advisory Committee
MISSION & GOALS
The Range Management Advisory Committee was statutorily created by Section 741 of the Public Resources Code of the State of California to advise the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Resources Agency, the California Environmental Protection Agency, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture on rangeland resource issues.
POLICIES & REPORTS
2022 RMAC Annual Report and Workplan
Prescribed Herbivory for Fuel Reduction
MEETINGS & WEBINARS
The meetings will be held in Sacramento, but are subject to change.
To register for a webinar, please see the Board of Forestry & Fire Protection Homepage or the appropriate meeting agenda.
STAFF & MEMBERSHIP
Staff: Kristina Wolf, Environmental Scientist
The RMAC includes representatives from academia, industry, state agencies, consulting firms, and non-profit agencies. The current RMAC membership may be viewed in the following downloadable PDF: Members and Term Expiration
Meeting Materials 2023
- February 23, 2023 RMAC Agenda
- 4. What is CEQA - L. Nielson 2023-02
- 5. RMAC Annual Report and Workplan 2022 REVISION 2023-02-06
- 6. CA Fifth Climate Assessment - Topics
- 6. Joint Hardwood-Board Policy 2004
- 9. Workforce Development – S. Marshall
- 9. Workforce Development Presentation Video – S. Marshall
- 10. Prescribed Grazing Draft for Fuels Reduction Guidance
Workshops
CAL FIRE’s Wildfire Prevention (WP) Grants Program provides funding for wildfire prevention projects and activities in and near fire threatened communities that focus on increasing the protection of people, structures, and communities. In this webinar, CALFIRE and UC Extension specialists explained the ins and outs of applying for the current WP Grant cycle to fund prescribed grazing projects. Details discussed included the application process, when a grazing plan is required, the basics of grazing for fuel reduction, and considerations when planning grazing projects for wildfire fuel mitigation.
These presentations are available due to a partnership between the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection's Range Management Advisory Committee and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Applying for a Wildfire Prevention Grant
Grazing from a Firefighter’s Point of View
The Wildfire Prevention Grant is open until March 15th, 2023. Also see the Wildfire Prevention Grants Program.
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The Range Management Advisory Committee co-hosted a virtual workshop with the California Fire Science Consortium to discuss the use of prescribed livestock grazing as a tool to support sustainable fuel reduction and environmental management in multi-use landscapes. This year focused on the ins and outs of contract/targeted grazing on public and private lands in the wildland-urban interface and other at-risk communities.
Three separate workshops highlighted case studies of successful grazing contracts and partnerships. Sheep, goat, and cattle producers across the Northern, Central, and Southern regions of California shared their experiences conducting grazing projects to manage fuels in a variety of landscapes and contexts, and included John Mark Austel from 4 J Horse & Livestock, Lee Hazeltine and Laura Gunderson from Integrazers, Andrée and Bianca Soares from Star Creek Land Stewards, Cole Bush from Shepherdess Land & Livestock, Jaime Irwin from Kaos Sheep Outfit, and Elizabeth Reikowski from Willow Creek Land & Cattle. Dan Macon from U.C. Cooperative Extension set the stage for the seminar by providing an introduction to targeted, contract, and fee-for-service grazing, with a focus on fire risk mitigation. Contracting entities also shared their experiences, and included representatives from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Ojai Valley Community Supported Grazing Program and local Fire Safe Councils, and the Land Trust of Napa County. The final session also included a speaker from Ascent Environmental, which is assisting the Board of Forestry & Fire Protection in the development and funding of Project-Specific Analyses (PSAs) for Cal Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP) projects. The presenters led a discussion on grazing as a covered activity under the CalVTP, funding for completion of PSAs, eligible projects, and the use of the CalVTP Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for CalVTP projects.
Full recordings may be viewed at the links below:
Please see the California Fire Science Consortium event page for further details: https://www.cafiresci.org/events-webinars-source/category/rmac2021
In the fall of 2020, the California Range Management Advisory Committee co-hosted a virtual workshop with the California Fire Science Consortium to discuss the use of prescribed livestock grazing as a sustainable fuel reduction and environmental management tool. Three separate workshops were hosted on the following topics:
- Wildland Fuels: A Primer for Concerned Citizens & Grazers
- Using Grazing for Fuels Management 101: Practices & Strategies
- Organizing Community-Based Wildland Fuels Management Projects: Approaches and Examples
Additional information and links to the recorded sessions can be found at the Fire Science Consortium’s webpage.
RMAC News
THE NEXT RMAC MEETING IS SCHEDULED for Tuesday, May 16th at 12:30 PM in person at the California Natural Resources Agency Headquarters at 715 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 on the second floor in Room 310 and virtually via GoToWebinar. Please REGISTER HERE