MCRCD provides forestry technical assistance through the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Ukiah Field Office. The goal of the Forestry Technical Assistance Program is to help non-industrial private landowners and residents make sound decisions about how to care for their forested land based on the ecology of the site and their personal objectives. MCRCD’s Registered Professional Forester (RPF) and contractual RPFs are available to provide free site visits to residents and landowners throughout Mendocino County who have questions regarding the management of their forestland. MCRCD foresters are also able to provide landowners with guidance in accessing cost-share financing through federal, state, and local programs that can be tailored to meeting landowner’s objectives for forest health, fuel reduction, and habitat enhancement.
Cost-share Incentives Programs
MCRCD does not administer the following cost-share incentives programs or play a role in the selection of funded projects; however, MCRCD foresters can help advise applicants on which cost-share incentives program are a best fit to the applicant’s goals and objectives. While payments from the following programs are substantial, they are incentives and are not meant to cover the complete cost of work. For further information on these programs and others, please consult the Forestry Resources page.
For further information please contact:
Bryce Hutchins at b.hutchins@mcrcd.org
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
MCRCD foresters provide landowners insight and guidance on how to best achieve their goals and assist in providing the necessary information to shepherd landowners NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Through EQIP, MCRCD and NRCS provide non-industrial forestland owners, residents, and land managers with financial resources and one-on-one help to plan and implement conservation practices, including fuel reduction, wildlife enhancement, and other forest improvement treatments.
EQIP Application Steps and Process
NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program Website
Oak Woodland Enhancement
MCRCD Forestry Staff have received a multi-year contract through NRCS as part of the North Coast Oak Woodland Conservation Project. This regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) aims to help landowners protect and enhance oak woodlands within Mendocino County. Deciduous oak woodlands are complex ecosystems and vital to California’s regional biodiversity, however they are increasingly threatened due to land use change and the encroachment of conifers and other species. Cost-share incentive funding is available for projects relating to oak woodland enhancement.
Oak Woodland Enhancement Fact Sheet
Before an oak woodland enhancement project.
California Forest Improvement Program (CFIP)
The California forest Improvement Program (CFIP) provides cost-share incentive funding for eligible non-industrial private forest landowners to undertake projects including timber stand improvement, fuels reduction and more. This program is administered through the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal FIRE). Landowners must have a forest management plan (FMP) or non-industrial timber management plan (NTMP) in order to apply. However, CFIP can be used to write an FMP if the landowner does not have one. CFIP applications and an environmental evaluation must be prepared by a registered professional forester (RPF). MCRCD’s foresters may be available to assist with FMPs through fee for service.
