Collaborative project brings together multiple organizations
Auburn, Calif. – The Placer County Board of Supervisors recently approved $1.6 million in contract award agreements to complete the French Meadows Ecological Forest Restoration Project, a multi-year collaborative effort aimed at reducing wildfire risk and improving forest health in the Sierra Nevada.
The board authorized the director of Agriculture, Parks, and Natural Resources to execute the following agreements:
- Acres Land Management LLC – $1,504,950 for thinning and meadow restoration services from Aug. 19 through Dec. 31, 2026.
- McKellar Tree Service and Logging, Inc. – $163,750 for mastication services during the same period.
French Meadows Ecological Forest Restoration Project
Starting in 2019, the county has been managing the public lands portion of the French Meadows Ecological Forest Restoration Project to improve forest health conditions and wildfire resilience across 22,000 acres of National Forest System lands within Placer County.
After a thorough evaluation, it was determined that approximately 7,200 acres needed treatment to meet forest health goals. To date, the project has completed roughly 80% of that work.
The newly awarded contracts cover the remaining acres necessary to complete the project. Some work is anticipated to begin in the 2025 season, with the majority of activities scheduled for completion by the end of the 2026 season.
"This investment is another milestone in the French Meadows partnership and our collective effort to make Sierra forests more resilient," said Placer County Regional Forest Health Coordinator Kerri Timmer. "By thinning overgrown areas and reducing hazardous fuels, we're not only lowering the risk of catastrophic wildfire but also safeguarding water supplies, wildlife habitat and the communities that depend on them."
The Acres Land Management agreement will be supported by $1,082,745 from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy's Wildfire Recovery and Forest Resilience Grant Program, $45,978 from a separate SNC sub-award and $376,227 from previously received timber and biomass revenue.
The McKellar Tree Service and Logging agreement will be fully funded through a CAL FIRE Wildfire Resilience grant approved by the board in July 2022.
A total of $1,061,625 is currently available in the fiscal year 2025-26 budget for Regional Forest Health – SRF. A budget amendment of $607,075 will be processed to increase appropriations for the remaining costs. There will be no additional impact to the county's General Fund.
The project is a collaboration between Placer County, Tahoe National Forest, Placer County Water Agency, and regional partners, including The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Nevada Conservancy, American River Conservancy, and the University of California, Merced's Sierra Nevada Research Institute.
The goal is to restore forest resilience and reduce the risk of severe wildfires that threaten wildlife habitat, water and power supplies, and natural resources critical to Placer County residents and downstream communities.