If you're a landowner in Mendocino, Sonoma, Lake, or Napa County, the North Bay Forest Improvement Program (NBFIP) offers cost-share funding to help you develop a Forest Management Plan (Forest Management Plan). These plans are written by Registered Professional Foresters (RPFs) and are essential for promoting long-term forest health and wildfire resilience. Alternatively, a staff member from your local Resource Conservation District (RCD), or in Lake County, the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center (CLERC), may also prepare a Forest Management Plan under the supervision of an RPF if you prefer.

A Forest Management Plan is a technical plan that is specific to your property and provides a roadmap for managing your forested land. It outlines your management goals, existing stand conditions, recommended treatments, maps, and implementation timelines. A Forest Management Plan can also increase your likelihood of receiving funding for future fuels reduction and habitat enhancement projects. Forest Management Plans are not required to be eligible to apply for project funding through this program, however we strongly encourage having one in place prior to applying. 

Application Steps Graphic

1. Engage a Registered Professional Forester from this list first.  They will complete the application for you.

2. Contact an RPF, RCD, or CLERC

   1. Landowners must work with a Registered Professional Forester or a qualified staff member from your local RCD or CLERC to prepare the plan. NBFIP maintains a list of foresters familiar with the program here. While only RPFs can formally supervise and approve the plan, a qualified staff member from the RCD or CLERC may submit the application on your behalf, as long as the work is completed under an RPF’s supervision.

3. A qualified professional applies on your behalf; this can be your Registered Professional Forester or a staff person from the Resource Conservation District or CLERC

   1. Applications to NBFIP must be submitted through its online portal. Whom the landowner has selected to write the plan, be it a private RPF or local RCD, will submit the application on behalf of the landowner.  Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. There are no deadlines.

4. Execute Contract and Begin Work

   1. Once the landowner has been selected to participate in NBFIP’s Forest Management Plan program, the landowner will go into contract with NBFIP’s Lead Agency Conservation Works. Then, the landowner can begin developing their forest management plan with the registered professional forester or qualified staff member. 

5. Complete Plan 

   1. Approved plans must be completed within 12 months. Most plans are finalized within 4 to 6 months. Your forester or qualified staff member will then submit the plan to the program for review and approval for reimbursement.

6. Submit Final Materials

   1. After the plan is reviewed and approved, NBFIP will issue reimbursement based on the established funding schedule. A final invoice will be collected as proof of payment and total cost. 

CLICK HERE TO APPLY NOW!

The Forest Management Plan contract with Conservation Works must be held by the landowner. The number of successful applicants each funding cycle will be dependent on program capacity.  Forest Management Plans will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis. RPFs shall consider how many Forest Management Plans they can feasibly produce within a 6-month window so program funds can be dispersed as efficiently as possible. Public agencies are not eligible for this funding opportunity. 501(c)3 organizations are eligible.

The maximum reimbursement for a plan for a property 40-160 acres is $6,000 plus $3.60/acre. For example, the maximum reimbursement a 40-acre property could receive for a Forest Management Plan is $6,000 + ($3.60 x 40) = $6,144. Please see the charts below for all reimbursement scenarios.

Keep in mind that the program can only reimburse 80% of the invoice cost. For example, a 40-acre property that receives an invoice for their Forest Management Plan for $7,000 is only eligible to receive 80% of the plan cost. 80% of $7,000 is $5,600. Therefore, the maximum reimbursement for the plan would be $5,600. A forest management plan that costs $10,000 would be eligible for up to $6,144 – the maximum reimbursement for the property size.

Click here to view Reimbursement Scenarios Charts.