YSS in the Press and Stories of Interest

The Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions collaborative and its emphasis on bringing competing interests together to find common ground on fire fuels reduction and forest health were hailed Thursday morning during the first day of a two-day regional meeting of the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force in Tuolumne County. Read more at: Union Democrat Article

Local leaders at the meeting highlighted regional efforts in the Central Sierra, including cross-boundary forest projects, workforce development, and new funding approaches. Examples included large-scale forest restoration efforts, expanded use of prescribed fire and new biomass facilities aimed at reducing forest waste. Panelists also pointed to growing efforts to build a wildfire workforce, with tribal programs, private companies, and local businesses contributing to fuels reduction and forest management work. Read more at: Mymotherlode article

Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5) that can enter the lungs and bloodstream. Even short-term exposures to PM2.5 have been associated with increased risk of asthma exacerbations, respiratory illness, allergic reactions, stroke, and heart attacks, contributing to higher use of emergency care and hospitalizations.

In California, more counties have been impacted by wildfire smoke over time, with the average annual number of days with smoke per county more than doubling between 2010-2014 and 2020-2024. Read more at: Mymotherlode article

This month, when the 2025 Rim Fire Reforestation planting season began in earnest, the Groveland Ranger District collaborated with Tuolumne River Trust members to coordinate the planting. Read more here: Mymotherlode article

CAL Fire has announced funding for 94 wildfire prevention projects across the state, with a big chunk of money coming to Tuolumne County.  In total, $90 million is being awarded. Read more here:  Mymotherlode article

The Tuolumne River Trust is a coalition member, concerned about this watershed and nearby land. Executive Director Patrick Koepele praised the draft plan when it was released. “This work has been incredibly important for the health of the watershed and the protection of the community,” he told The Modesto Bee by email. The Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center, based in Twain Harte, also has been involved.  Read more here:  Modesto Bee Article

The SERAL 2.0 project is expected to contribute to improved habitat, reduced wildfire risks, reduction of invasive weeds, improvement of old-growth forest conditions, and commercially marketable timber to support the local economy, according to the Forest Service.  Read more here: Union Democrat Article

“We are deeply honored to receive this recognition from the White House,” said Dwight Follien, the President of the Groveland Trail Heads. “Having this award presented to us by the Groveland Ranger District personnel is especially meaningful, as they, along with the Stanislaus National Forest, have been incredible partners since our inception in 2013.”  Read more here:  Full Article

The Stanislaus National Forest has planted 493,000 trees in under three weeks this spring to rehabilitate the Rim Fire burn scar. Led by the Groveland Ranger District, the project aims to restore the forest devastated by the 2013 Rim Fire, which burned over 257,000 acres. Read full article here

Some of the other partners who have been involved include the Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions collaborative, the Stanislaus National Forest, and the Tuolumne River Trust. Read more here:  Mymotherlode article and here:  Union Democrat Article

At its most recent meeting, the state agency (SNC) approved a $920,000 grant to the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians to complete the environmental planning efforts for a 2,895 acre forest health project on tribal land. The Tribe’s land management plan aims to reduce fuels to protect forests and infrastructure from wildfires and drought. Read more here: Full Article

In an interview, the first thing that Supervisor Kuiken pointed to was the efforts of a collaborative group called Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions.

“After decades of adversarial “wrangling” over forest management policy, 25 local industry, environmental, and recreational groups decided it was time to focus on what we could agree on,” said Mike Albrecht, president, Associated California Loggers.

“When we sat down together, we found out we agreed on a lot, and so Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions (YSS) was born. YSS agreed to salvage logs from the Rim Fire, get it reforested, develop a fuel break network to protect our local communities, and restore meadows, streams, and wetlands to better health,” Albrecht said. “This agreement has gotten us national attention and subsequent funding to undertake large “landscape level” forest management projects. This would not have been accomplished without the close 3-way partnership between Tuolumne County, YSS, and the U.S. Forest Service. Kudos to everyone that has worked so hard to make this happen!” Read more:  https://forestpolicypub.com/2024/02/29/tsw-exclusive-a-tale-of-two-serals-making-landscape-scale-resilience-happen-with-the-stanislaus-forest-and-yss/