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Over the past couple of years, Napa RCD has partnered with Suscol Intertribal Council to improve forest health and wildfire resilience of the Suskol House land project and support the Suscol Intertribal Council (SIC)’s development and implementation of a workforce training program. These activities are a part of Napa RCD’s Forest Health Program, which seeks to improve the health and resilience of Napa County’s rural and urban forests through technical and financial assistance, community education, and collaboration.
To guide the management of the Suskol House’s 17 acres of forested land, Napa RCD staff and Dogwood Springs Forestry worked with SIC to develop a Forest Management Plan (FMP). A crew was then brought in to implement key vegetation management activities, including selective thinning of small/young trees and shrubs that served as ladder fuels, pruning of trees and shrubs to be kept on the land, and removal of invasive species.
Charlie Toledo, the Executive Director of SIC, has been ecstatic about the completion of the project saying “The aesthetics are wonderful! We can now see the forest! Also, more animal and bird sightings. We can watch and supervise folks hiking or working on the hillsides now!”
SIC has also invested in workforce training days covering fire prevention, erosion control, water conservation, and plant identification. Participants are mostly young adults learning about defensible space, how to operate a weed eater, clearing culverts, identifying native plants and their cultural uses, and working with drip irrigation line.
To learn more about this project, check out the full article on our website!
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