2025/26 Effectiveness Monitoring Committee Request for Research Proposals to test the California Forest Practice Rules and related regulations

Purpose

The Effectiveness Monitoring Committee is an advisory body to the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, intended to fund robust scientific research aimed at testing the efficacy of the California Forest Practice Rules and other natural resource protection statutes, laws, codes, and associated regulations, which address natural resource issues including, but not limited to, watershed science, wildlife concerns, and wildfire hazard.

Description

The Effectiveness Monitoring Committee (EMC) is seeking project proposals that: (1) Address one or more of the EMC’s Research Themes and Critical Monitoring Questions and; (2) Address natural resource protection issues that are important for California forestlands. The critical monitoring questions are organized under 12 Research Themes. Six prioritized critical questions were determined by vote amongst the current EMC members at the beginning of the calendar year: Are the FPRs and associated regulations effective in... Are the FPRs and related regulations effective in… Question 1h … managing WLPZs to reduce or minimize potential fire behavior and rate of spread? Question 2a … minimizing management-related sediment delivery from forest management activities to watercourse channels at the watershed and sub-watershed level in managed watersheds? Question 3a … reducing or minimizing management-related generation of sediment and delivery to watercourse channels? Question 5a … maintaining and restoring the distribution and quality of foraging, rearing and spawning habitat for anadromous salmonids? Question 6c … managing fuel loads, vegetation patterns and fuel breaks for fire hazard reduction? Question 12a … improving overall forest wildfire resilience and the ability of forests to respond to climate change (e.g., in response to drought or bark beetle; reducing plant water stress) and variability, and extreme weather events (evaluate ecosystem functional response to fuel reduction and forest health treatments)? FUNDING AVAILABILITY. Funding available for newly proposed projects is anticipated as follows: $928,334 over three FYs beginning in 2025/26, comprising: $188,202 in FY 2025/26; $315,132 in FY 2026/27; and $425,000 in FY 2027/28. AWARD LIMITATIONS. Applicants requesting more than the stated annual amount available for funding will not be considered. While the EMC may choose to fund projects that span multiple FYs up to the annual funding cap, the EMC generally prefers to fund multiple research projects annually. Proposers should keep this in mind when developing their project and annual budget requests. Longer-term projects (greater than three years) may re-apply for funding for additional years through the competitive grants process advertised in the EMC’s Request for Proposals. ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES. Eligible projects will test one or more specific FPRs or other rule or regulation under the Board’s jurisdiction and which addresses one or more of the EMC’s Research Themes and Critical Monitoring Questions. Proposed projects must clearly apply to management activities on private timberlands in California. Projects on public land may be eligible for EMC funding provided they clearly apply to the activities and systems that also exist on non-federal timberland. ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS. Eligible applicants are local, state, and federal agencies including federal land management agencies; institutions of higher education; special purpose districts (e.g., public utilities districts, fire districts, conservation districts, and ports); Native American tribes; private landowners; for-profit entities; and non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations.