Enhancement) Builds Wildfire Resilience and Community Strength
Plumas County, CA — California’s forests and communities are facing historic challenges — and a network of dedicated partners is rising to meet them.
The Sierra Institute for Community and Environment’s Sierra to California All Lands Enhancement (SCALE) project is a statewide forum uniting local collaborative groups, Tribes, state and federal agencies, and community partners to tackle some of California’s toughest landscape challenges — from catastrophic wildfires to forest health, water security, and rural economic vitality.
At its core, SCALE is about connection. What began with just three collaboratives under the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program has grown into a dynamic network of roughly 20 collaboratives covering 18 National Forests and working hand-in-hand with state and federal partners. Together, they’re tackling large-scale forest and watershed restoration, wildfire prevention, and community development — all through place-based, boots-on-the-ground partnerships.
Every year, SCALE’s in-person conferences gather leaders from across California to share lessons learned, spark ideas, and problem-solve collective and unique challenges. This year’s SCALE conference will be held in North Lake Tahoe on July 24–25, bringing together forest stewards where the Sierra meets the sky. It’s not just talk — it’s where solutions take root. Recent gatherings have brought together over 85 participants from more than 30 organizations, all committed to shaping a healthier, more resilient future for our forests and the communities that call them home.
Today, with record-breaking wildfires threatening homes, watersheds, and wildlife, state and federal agencies are turning to local, collaborative solutions like SCALE to meet the urgency of the moment. From integrating Tribal knowledge to supporting local contractors and family-owned forest businesses, SCALE’s network is helping to build the capacity needed to keep forests and communities safe, thriving, and resilient in the face of climate change.
Closer to home, the Sierra Institute doesn’t just convene the network — it’s an active participant, too. Through the South Lassen Watersheds Group, the Sierra Institute works alongside local partners to restore nearly a million acres of forest, pioneering scalable models for restoration and community benefit that are shared statewide through SCALE.
In a time of growing climate threats and unprecedented wildfire risk, the message is clear: California’s forest stewards are stronger together. And SCALE is the backbone that keeps that collaboration alive.
Learn more about the Sierra Institute and SCALE at www.sierrainstitute.us
