009: How the North Bay Forest Improvement Program Mitigates Wildfire Risks with Molly Curley O'Brien
Nov 14, 2022
To just have fire experts talk about resilience is not going to create a resilient project and so it's a good thing to have folks to be part of the conversation. We do not know the full scope of what's needed to get done. And together, we can figure it out." -Molly Curley O'Brien
Episode Description:
While forest landowners play a critical role in mitigating wildfire, they often face challenges that make this difficult.
For instance, many are not sure how to get started even if they want to start managing their lands for wildfire protection. They may feel overwhelmed by the task of preparing their land for wildfire prevention and mitigation efforts. They may lack knowledge on how to mitigate wildfires safely and effectively or the access to funding mitigation efforts.
That's why, in an effort to provide a solution to these problems, After the Fire has launched its North Bay Forest Improvement Program/NBFI with the leadership of the Director of Grants and Government Programs for ATF, Molly Curley O'Brien. NBFIP is an initiative to help landowners get compensated for work they perform on their forested lands.
This week, Jennifer and Molly discuss more about NBFIP, how it came to be, and why this initiative is crucial in fire mitigation efforts. They also talk about the importance of building collective resilience, how to help our technical experts, how innovation is tied to resilience, and why funding should be a priority in sustaining these mitigation efforts.
Connect with After The Fire USA:
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuTefxZgWUJkDVoZGZQpxgQ
Highlights:
05:20 What is the North Bay Forest Improvement Program
09:32 Why Compensation is Needed
17:15 The Secret Sauce
21:49 Technical Experts Need Help
26:06 Inside the Processes
30:28 Collective Resilience
37:20 A Dire Need in the Resilience Space
42:44 A Regional Effort