Between July and December 2018, an estimated 8,000 fires burned across California affecting more than 1.8 million acres of forestland. Five fires alone—Carr, Mendocino Complex, Camp, Hill, and Woolsey— destroyed more than 22,000 structures and killed more than 98 people. Losses and damages from these fires are estimated at more than $1 billion, with more than $16 billion considered to be at very high risk for future damage pending action. California’s forests house the state’s headwaters and much of its stored carbon. Wildfire threatens these watersheds as it erodes the landscape, allowing more runoff and debris into water supplies. In a post-fire landscape, vegetation is crucial for groundwater recharge and can take years to regrow.

This project will reforest private lands that these fires impacted and that will not naturally regenerate, complementing improved forest management activities. Since restoration of large swaths of private lands is often omitted from governmental revitalization efforts, this project aims to elevate the use and recognition of replanting after wildfire to address many pressing issues including resiliency and shared upper watershed quality challenges. Initially, this reforestation effort aims to help impacted families recover from wildfires including the Carr and Camp Fires.

The Arbor Day Foundation is working with P&G, Target, and Pepsico, to replant 8,000 acres of private land; piloting a collaborative, scalable approach to recovery. Our current effort to raise enough funds to plant an initial 2 million trees is complete, reforestation efforts have begun in earnest and will be complete by next year, 2022, on schedule. Complementary forest management and fuels reduction work continues on 32,000 adjacent acres. Pending ongoing program completion and results, we will evaluate expanding this pilot beyond the initial 8,000 acres.

Project lead: Arbor Day Foundation
Participating CWAC members: P&G | Target | Pepsico
To learn more: Contact Ben Wilinsky, Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships Arbor Day Foundation – [bwilinsky@arborday.org]