CAL FIRE Forest Health Research Program (FY 2026-27) Proposition 4 California Climate Bond Grants (RP-RFP-2026-03)

Purpose

The intent of CAL FIRE's Forest Health Research Program is to fund scientific research that expands our knowledge in topics related to forest health and wildland fire. The outcomes of these projects will support agencies, organizations, landowners, and policy makers, while furthering the goals of the California Forest and Wildfire Resilience Action Plan and California Climate Investments.

Description

The application consists of a concept proposal followed by review and selection. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal followed by a second review and selection period. Concept proposals are due by 3 p.m. (PDT), July 30, 2026. Full invited proposals are due by 3 p.m. (PST), November 14, 2026. This solicitation funds collaborative research to support forest health and greenhouse‑gas reduction at landscape scales through improved forest and vegetation management across California. This solicitation is purposefully intended to consider research proposals that focus on a broad range of challenging questions relevant to forest and fire management at large spatial scales, and we encourage applications from any discipline that meaningfully intersect with landscape-scale management. Research funded through this solicitation should be collaborative in nature, and include multiple partners working across organizations, institutions, jurisdictions, and/or disciplines. Projects should substantially advance their field of research and produce meaningful applied benefits for any of the following broad themes: a) improved forest or vegetation management strategies and activities to reduce unwanted disturbance impacts, promote recovery after disturbance, enhance carbon storage, sustain and promote biodiversity, improve water and air quality, provide regional economic benefits, or facilitate an adaptive management feedback loop (including beneficial fire, tribal stewardship, forest fuels reduction, pest management, reforestation, biomass utilization, forest watershed restoration, upper watershed, riparian, and mountain meadow restoration) at landscape-scales; b) Improved decision support for planning and prioritizing risk reduction activities, including large-scale prescribed fire, across scales from Potential Operational Delineations (PODs) to individual projects. Improvements may include but are not limited to fire behavior modeling, fuels quantification, andprioritization schema. c) Improved understanding of current impacts of large-scale wildfires and other large disturbances, or management strategies within large disturbance footprints, such as second-entry treatments in fire footprints; d) Improved predictions of future conditions, disturbance regimes, or treatment effectiveness; e) Emissions reductions and/or avoided live vegetation losses, improved long-term carbon storage and sequestration, or improved quantitative assessment of greenhouse gas impacts across large scales; Or f) Improved policy related to the California Forest Carbon Plan or other State climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. The research may – but is not required to – include forest treatment implementation such as forest fuels reduction, pest management, reforestation, biomass utilization, forest watershed restoration, upper watershed, riparian, and mountain meadow restoration. The research may – but is not required to – build off other previous or current implementation or research projects funded through other sources (e.g. Forest Health, Fire Prevention, Tribal Wildfire Resiliency, or other CAL FIRE or non-CAL FIRE grants).