California Board of Forestry & Fire Protection

 

Photo of Terrence O'Brien

Terrence O'Brien

Chair
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Public comments regarding Board of Forestry and Fire Protection matters or actions should be submitted to PublicComments@bof.ca.gov.

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Livestock Grazing Management Resources

On March 27, 2025 the Board of Forestry & Fire Protection approved the State Lands Grazing Packet. This State Lands Grazing Packet includes a Guidebook which addresses a variety of factors and assists land managers and grazing operators in developing the Grazing Agreement and a comprehensive Management Action Plan (MAP) that will help land managers achieve local environmental goals and objectives, ensure a sustainable grazing operation, and support a mutually beneficial relationship. The Guidebook explains terminology and practical concerns, and includes detailed discussion of sources, goals, and useful components of a Grazing Agreement and MAP. For more information on livestock and grazing management, see the new Livestock Grazing Management Resources webpage.

Range Management Advisory Committee (RMAC) Strategic Plan and Annual Report and Workplan

The Range Management Advisory Committee (RMAC) 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. The RMAC Strategic Plan, which is updated on a 5-year cycle, was revised in 2025. Read the RMAC Strategic Plan HERE. The RMAC 2024 Annual Report and Workplan, which details the activities of the RMAC in 2024 and lays out the 2025 Annual Priorities, is available HERE.

The California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection is seeking nominations for the 2025 Francis H. Raymond Award. The annual award is given to the individual, organization, agency or company who has contributed the most to the management of California’s natural resources over the past five years.

Defensible Space- Zones 0, 1 & 2

For the latest information on Defensible Space - Zones 0, 1 & 2, click: HERE!

Revised Effectiveness Monitoring Committee Charter

The EMC revised its Charter in late 2024. Read the updated version HERE.

This report quantifies forest biomass piles accumulated from 2018 – 2021 and provides an inventory of forest biomass pile material potentially available for wood and biomass utilization.  It offers details on the number of forest biomass pile burn permits issued from 2018 - 2021 by CA air district to provide information about open pile burning, prescribed burning, and the total acreage and tonnage of burn piles in CA. Highlights include potentially 150,000 acres of available forest biomass piles, representing approx. 1 million tons of material in piles currently on the landscape, with 78% of it occurring on public lands. Nineteen percent is accessible via existing road networks.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Information on the CalVTP Resource Library

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Board of Forestry and Fire Protection announces the release of new tools for efficient California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP) implementation and Project-Specific Analysis (PSA) preparation. Find all the information, including links to the updated CalVTP webpage, example PSAs and PSA/Addenda, new FAQs, and implementation tools, here: Information on the CalVTP Resource Library

A goal of the Effectiveness Monitoring Committee (EMC) is to develop a process-based understanding of the effectiveness of the California Forest Practice Rules (FPRs) and other natural resource protection statutes and laws, codes and regulations. To facilitate an Adaptive Management process that informs proposed changes to forestry policy and regulations, the EMC supports research that addresses twelve core research themes. Aligned with these research themes, the EMC has developed a set of Critical Monitoring Questions (CMQ) to guide prospective grantee research questions and help direct EMC funding focus. The research themes and CMQs provided in this document—initially adopted in 2017 and presented in the 2018 Strategic Plan were updated in 2024.

Reports

Report On Exempt Timber Harvesting For The Reduction of Fire Hazard Within 150 Feet Of Structures

State law require monitoring of non-discretionary Exemption and Emergency Notice timber harvesting in the state of California and the submission of reports to the Legislature.

2020 California Forest Pest Conditions

In 2019, aerial detection surveys flown between July and August covered 41 million acres of forested land. Field staff then conducted spot ground checks on selected points and polygons to verify host and agent. This year, approximately 3.8 million acres were virtually surveyed by 13 surveyors who utilized either tablets or PCs to visually scan satellite or aerial imagery and digitize points and polygons of disturbance.

2021 Report On Forest Management Research

The Board, assisted by the director [of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection], shall biennially determine state needs for forest management research and recommend the conduct of needed projects to the Governor and the Legislature.

2023 BOF Annual Report

The California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (Board) is a Governor-appointed body within the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). Members are appointed on the basis of their professional and educational qualification.

Wildfire Prevention