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Winter 2021 - Issue 1
USDA California Climate Hub
News & Notes
Forest Management Task Force Recommendations

The California Forest Management Task Force was established by executive order in 2018 in response to the threat and impacts of severe wildfires to forest health. The Task Force guides the implementation of the executive order, which includes increasing the scale of forest treatments (such as forest thinning, prescribed burning, or reforestation) to 500,000 acres. Over the past year, each of the Task Force working groups developed recommendations on how to increase the rate of forest treatments and expand the wood products market. The working groups are divided into: forest management and restoration, regulations, landowner outreach and education, wood utilization, and prescribed fire.

Among others, recommendations from the working groups called for sustained funding for large scale forest health treatments, streamlining the associated permitting processes, establishing new teams to provide rapid responses to all landowners post-fire, training and supporting dedicated crews for applying prescribed fire, and increasing public education on the role of bioenergy in forest heath strategies. A summary of the recommendations, as well as each working group's detailed response, are available on the Task Force website.

In the wake of a wildfire season in which over 4 million acres burned, Task Force leadership will consider these recommendations as they develop a proposed action plan for the state government.
More Extreme Atmospheric Rivers To Impact California Under Climate Change
Atmospheric Rivers (AR) supply 50% of California’s water in the form of snow and rain, which helps dampen wildfires and mitigate against drought, but can also create massive floods. In February 2019 an atmospheric river dumped 21 inches of rain on Sonoma County’s wine region, causing more than $100 million in damages in Sonoma County alone.

According to the Scripps Institute's Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, understanding atmospheric rivers is key to water management in the state. A study published in Science Advances in July showed that climate change may increase AR storm strength by 20-30%, making for much wetter events with heightened flood risk. The study also projects a high level of regional variability in storm severity, with a 15-30% predicted increase in the Serra Nevada mountains, a 25-40% increase in the Central Valley, and a more than 50% increase in Eastern California/Western Nevada.

While the research warns of increased challenges for water and flood management in California, wetter AR events may serve as drought busters, and provide a moist ground layer to deter larger-than-normal wildfires. Across working lands, utilizing a strategy called Flood-Managed Aquifer Recharge (Flood-MAR) to manage flood on scales ranging from individual farms to large operations can provide broad local and landscape-scale benefits. Nonetheless, producers should be aware of the challenges associated with increasingly wet ARs and the corresponding flood risk. Options for adaptation for agricultural communities include slowing or eliminating new development in high risk areas, restoration of flood plains, and hardening existing flood walls, dams, and spillways.
Our colleagues at the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center have two new podcast shorts out this month -- one on beef production and one on dust storms. Check out these stories and others on the Come Rain or Shine podcast.
In Every Issue...
Climate, Drought, and Fire Outlooks
For more information on the climate, drought, soil moisture, or fire outlooks, click on the images below.
Warmer than normal January temperatures are expected across inland SoCal.
Drier than normal conditions are expected for most of the state as a La Niña pattern continues.
Drought conditions currently impact more than 80% of the state's population.
California can expect drought conditions to persist through winter.
Below average soil moisture is expected for January. Soil moisture deficits are not expected to improve as the state remains dry through winter.
For more on the fire outlook for Northern California, click here.

For more on the fire outlook for Southern California, click here.
In the News
Events

January 19 American Farmland Trust Women for the Land Virtual Learning Circle

January 25 NIACS Adaptation Planning and Practices Online Courses

January 25 CA-NV DEWS Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar

February 15 Society of Rangeland Management Virtual Meeting
Opportunities

The USDA Climate Hubs will have a new National Lead based with the Forest Service. This is a GS 14/15 2-year term position based in D.C. See the outreach notice for more.

CalCAN is hiring a Field Organizer. The position is open until filled.

USDA Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative funding proposals due January 14

NIFA Graduate & Postgraduate Grant Program proposals due January 28

AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program grant proposals due July 29
Get Involved!
We encourage you to be in touch if we can be of service or assistance. Contact Hub Director Steve Ostoja and check out the California Climate Hub website for more information.

Have something you'd like us to share with our newsletter recipients? Know of a colleague who should be a part of our Spotlight series? Please let us know! Contact Hub Coordinator Lauren Parker.
The USDA California Climate Hub within the Agricultural Research Service at the UC Davis John Muir Institute works with partners across federal and state agencies, universities, and industry to help enable climate-informed decision making and advance the adaptive capacity for California's working and managed agricultural, range, and forest lands. Through these newsletters we share news and information of relevance and interest to our stakeholders.