Regional Priority Plan to Reduce Wildfire Risk and Improve Forest Health in Santa Barbara County

A project of the Wildfire Resilience Collaborative

Photo credit: Mike Eliason, Santa Barbara County Fire

The Regional Priority Plan (RPP) prioritizes actionable projects that mitigate fire risk, build community capacity and increase wildfire and climate resilience. The plan was developed through a highly collaborative process that resulted in several outcomes:

Identification, prioritization and categorization of wildfire risk mitigation projects for the region of Santa Barbara County.
Public centralized database of Santa Barbara County wildfire-related data, a countywide customizable wildfire risk model, and a spatial decision support system to identify high priority areas for wildfire risk-reduction activities.
Deepened relationships, strengthened networks, and trust built among the many community partners and agencies that need to work together to build resilience.
A platform for funding and implementing collaborative projects, identifying new projects and priorities and building the capacity needed to move projects forward.

This visionary project and plan was funded by the California Coastal Conservancy to help Santa Barbara County succinctly organize and prioritize projects, programs, and policies to address the ongoing threat of wildfires in the region. The Cachuma Resource Conservation District (CRCD) received this funding and oversaw a multi-prong effort to collect and collate data and collaborate with partners to focus on public and private land in the wildland/urban interface.

Featured Projects

Featured

Equity, Restoration, Capacity Building, Vegetation Management, Research & Analysis, Education & Engagement

Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX)

Equity, Restoration, Capacity Building, Vegetation Management, Research & Analysis, Education & Engagement

Implement a Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX) and cooperative burns to provide experiential training that builds robust local capacity for…

Equity, Restoration, Capacity Building, Vegetation Management, Research & Analysis, Education & Engagement

Restoration, Buffers & Land Protection, Capacity Building, Vegetation Management

Fire Fuel Management at Arroyo Hondo Preserve

Restoration, Buffers & Land Protection, Capacity Building, Vegetation Management

In June of 2021, the Land Trust of Santa Barbara received a grant of $23,588 from the Coastal Conservancy for a targeted prescribed grazing project at the Arroyo Hondo Preserve, a project that the RPP team had identified through their outreach efforts to the Land Trust and helped facilitate funding for.

Restoration, Buffers & Land Protection, Capacity Building, Vegetation Management

Capacity Building, Research & Analysis

Creating a Collaborative Resourcing Team: Maintaining Opportunity Matrix, Funding Database and Partner Directory

Capacity Building, Research & Analysis

This project opportunity matrix and the RPP site valuable community assets, but the information herein represents a snapshot of needs at this point in time. Building wildfire resilience in Santa Barbara County needs to be an ongoing proactive process.

Capacity Building, Research & Analysis

Planning & Policy, Capacity Building, Vegetation Management, Research & Analysis

Countywide GIS Public-Private Partnership

Planning & Policy, Capacity Building, Vegetation Management, Research & Analysis

Many agencies and community based organizations maintain GIS data for internal purposes and needs. As a result, there are multiple specialized systems for particular needs and redundant technical capacity.

Planning & Policy, Capacity Building, Vegetation Management, Research & Analysis

Equity, Buffers & Land Protection, Vegetation Management

San Antonio Creek Community Defensible Space Project

Equity, Buffers & Land Protection, Vegetation Management

In June 2021, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department received funding from the State Coastal Conservancy to implement a community defensible space project in the San Antonio Creek area foothills…

Equity, Buffers & Land Protection, Vegetation Management

Carpinteria Summerland Fire Hazard Fuels Reduction Treatment Project

Equity, Buffers & Land Protection, Vegetation Management

In June 2021, the Carpinteria Summerland Fire Protection District received funding from the State Coastal Conservancy to conduct a multi-pronged fuels reduction treatment program…

Equity, Buffers & Land Protection, Vegetation Management

Equity, Restoration, Buffers & Land Protection, Vegetation Management, Research & Analysis

Reintegrating Indigenous Burning Practices

Equity, Restoration, Buffers & Land Protection, Vegetation Management, Research & Analysis

Prescribed fire can help reduce fuel loads in key areas that are safe to burn and where there has been a dearth of fire in the past. Prescribed fire is used as a tool to promote ecological health and reduce fire risk…

Equity, Restoration, Buffers & Land Protection, Vegetation Management, Research & Analysis

Planning & Policy, Capacity Building

Project Fundraising, Management and Collaboration Facilitation Capacity

Planning & Policy, Capacity Building

Building resilience will require implementing the projects listed in the RPP, and doing so requires additional capacity to catalyze partnerships, further project planning, prepare compelling grant proposals, and successfully managing projects.

Planning & Policy, Capacity Building

Capacity Building, Neighborhood Organizing, Research & Analysis, Education & Engagement

Wildfire Literacy Education: Support for Burn Cycle Project Santa Barbara based artist Ethan Turpin is poised to expand his high impact education efforts

Capacity Building, Neighborhood Organizing, Research & Analysis, Education & Engagement

There is a great need to keep the community interested and engaged about the risk of fire before another major event occurs. Social awareness regarding fire is generally at a high level of engagement immediately after a fire event…

Capacity Building, Neighborhood Organizing, Research & Analysis, Education & Engagement

Equity, Capacity Building, Neighborhood Organizing, Education & Engagement

Neighborhood Organizing for Fire Resilience

Equity, Capacity Building, Neighborhood Organizing, Education & Engagement

The first line of preparedness and response to the threat or reality of wildfires begins in the neighborhood. Although the County and law enforcement have systems in place to communicate, there is no substitute…

Equity, Capacity Building, Neighborhood Organizing, Education & Engagement

Restoration, Equity, Buffers & Land Protection, Planning & Policy, Vegetation Management, Neighborhood Organizing

Restoration with a Fire Resilience Focus: Riparian Restoration in Goleta Valley to Reduce Fire Risk

Restoration, Equity, Buffers & Land Protection, Planning & Policy, Vegetation Management, Neighborhood Organizing

Healthy riparian corridors with natural unimpaired hydrology are natural fire breaks, with well watered vegetation acting to catch and extinguish embers and dampen fire advancement.

Restoration, Equity, Buffers & Land Protection, Planning & Policy, Vegetation Management, Neighborhood Organizing

Equity, Buffers & Land Protection, Restoration, Planning & Policy, Capacity Building, Vegetation Management, Research & Analysis

Prescribed Grazing: Develop a Countywide Plan

Equity, Buffers & Land Protection, Restoration, Planning & Policy, Capacity Building, Vegetation Management, Research & Analysis

Prescribed grazing (also known as prescribed herbivory) enables fuel treatment in sloped and difficult to access areas where other vegetation management options are challenging or impractical.

Equity, Buffers & Land Protection, Restoration, Planning & Policy, Capacity Building, Vegetation Management, Research & Analysis

To view more featured projects, click here.