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Priority
Accelerate Nature-Based Climate Solutions and Strengthen Climate Resilience of Natural Systems
Actions
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Action 1 Implement California’s nature-based solutions climate targets.
Success Metric: Develop an approach to tracking progress towards California’s nature-based solutions climate targets by improving understanding of on-the-ground action.
Timeframe: 2025
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency | Environmental Protection Agency - Air Resources Board | Department of Food and Agriculture
For More Details: Expanding Nature-Based Solutions
Success Metric: Develop standard methods for state agencies to consistently track climate outcomes of nature-based solutions.
Timeframe: 2025
Agency/Agencies: Environmental Protection Agency - Air Resources Board | Natural Resources Agency | Department of Food and Agriculture
For More Details: AB 1757: Tracking and Assessing the Effects of Land Management
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Action 2 Identify opportunities to implement climate smart land management on state lands that build climate resilience while also delivering other benefits, such as increasing carbon sinks, reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions, and enhancing biodiversity.
Success Metric: Update California's Climate Smart Lands Strategy, including an identified path forward on how the state can overcome barriers to implementation.
Timeframe: 2025
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency
For More Details: Expanding Nature-Based Solutions
Success Metric: Increase acreage of state lands implementing appropriate healthy soils management practices that build climate resilience.
Timeframe: Ongoing
Agency/Agencies: Department of Food and Agriculture and partner agencies |Environmental Protection Agency – Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
For More Details: Healthy Soils Initiative
Success Metric: Increase the development and implementation of co-management agreements with California Native American tribes on state lands that support climate resilience and implementation of tribal expertise and traditional knowledges.
Timeframe: Ongoing
Agency/Agencies: All relevant state agencies
For More Details: Native American Ancestral Lands Administrative Policy
Success Metric: Conduct an assessment to identify current leases that incorporate nature-based climate solutions.
Timeframe: 2025
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency - State Lands Commission
For More Details: State Lands Commission 2021-2025 Strategic Plan
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Action 3 Identify and pursue opportunities to support tribal access, ancestral land return, tribally-led nature-based solutions, and co-management of lands and marine resources. Invite and incorporate tribal expertise, Traditional Ecological Knowledges, and cultural practices for understanding and responding to climate change.
Success Metric: Number of partnerships or collaborations with California Native American tribes where specific tribal input is incorporated into the management of marine resources.
Timeframe: Ongoing
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – Department of Fish and Wildlife, State Lands Commission, Ocean Protection Council
For More Details: Department of Fish and Wildlife Tribal Communication and Consultation Policy; State Lands Commission Tribal Consultation; Ocean Protection Council Strategic Plan; Governor Newsom's State of Administrative Policy on Native American Ancestral Lands
Success Metric: Number of partnerships or collaborations with California Native American tribes where specific tribal input is incorporated into the management of state-owned lands.
Timeframe: Ongoing
Agency/Agencies: All relevant state agencies
For More Details: Department of Fish and Wildlife Tribal Communication and Consultation Policy; State Lands Commission Tribal Consultation; Governor Newsom's State of Administrative Policy on Native American Ancestral Lands
Success Metric: Increase the number of acres of state-owned land returned to tribal ownership and stewardship.
Timeframe: Annual
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency - State Lands Commission, Department of Fish and Wildlife, all conservancies, Wildlife Conservation Board
For More Details: Governor Newsom Statement of Administration Policy on Native American Ancestral Lands; Tribal Nature Based Solutions Grant Program
Success Metric: Develop a strategy to advance tribal access, co-management, and ancestral land return.
Timeframe: 2026
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency
For More Details: Governor Newsom's State of Administrative Policy on Native American Ancestral Lands; Tribal Affairs
Success Metric: Number of tribal nature-based solutions implemented.
Timeframe: Ongoing
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency and all relevant departments,
For More Details: Tribal Affairs; Tribal Nature Based Solutions Grant Program
Success Metric: Preservation of Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
Timeframe: Ongoing
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency and all relevant departments,
For More Details: Tribal Affairs
Success Metric: Increase the number of grants funding the acquisition of property for tribal ownership and stewardship.
Timeframe: Annual
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency - State Lands Commission, Department of Fish and Wildlife, all conservancies, Department of Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Board | Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, Formerly the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research – Strategic Growth Council
For More Details: Governor Newsom Statement of Administration Policy on Native American Ancestral Lands; Tribal Nature Based Solutions Grant Program
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Action 4 Increase the pace and scale of wildfire resilience and forest health projects.
Success Metric: Scale up wildfire and forest resilience treatments to 500,000 acres annually.
Timeframe: 2025
Agency/Agencies: Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force | Natural Resources Agency – Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Department of Conservation, all relevant departments
For More Details: Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan; Department of Fish and Wildlife Watershed Restoration Grant Programs
Success Metric: Scale up state prescribed and cultural fire treatments up to 75,000 acres annually.
Timeframe: 2025
Agency/Agencies: Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force | Natural Resources Agency – Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Department of Conservation, all relevant departments
For More Details: Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan; California’s Strategic Plan for Expanding the Use of Beneficial Fire
Success Metric: Fund robust wildfire resilience programs across a variety of landowner types including small landowners, state landowners, California Native American tribes, and federal land managers.
Timeframe: Ongoing
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency - Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Sierra Nevada Conservancy and other conservancies | State Transportation Agency – Caltrans
For More Details: Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan
Success Metric: Develop a District Vegetation Management Plan and geospatial tool for each Caltrans district (12).
Timeframe: 2025
Agency/Agencies: State Transportation Agency – Caltrans
For More Details: Caltrans Maintenance
Success Metric: Forest partnerships have the capacity to access and implement significant funding for large-scale, multi-benefit forest restoration.
Timeframe: Ongoing
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – Sierra Nevada Conservancy and other conservancies, Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Department of Conservation | Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force
For More Details: Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program; Watershed Improvement Program Capacity-Building
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Action 5 Reduce risks of wildfire through increased use of fuel breaks and fuels reduction.
Success Metric: Maintain a pipeline of roughly 500 fuel break and fuels reduction projects in various stages of planning, implementation, and maintenance at any given time.
Timeframe: Annual
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency - Department of Forestry and Fire Protection | State Transportation Agency – Caltrans
For More Details: Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan
Success Metric: Execute Fuel Reduction Service Contracts (12) to reduce overly dense fuels on state highway corridors that are also identified as primary evacuation routes.
Timeframe: 2025
Agency/Agencies: State Transportation Agency – Caltrans
For More Details: Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan; Caltrans, State Push Fire-Resilient Roadways Strategy
Success Metric: Calculate and report creditable activities funded and completed by Caltrans’ field maintenance crews, contractors, and others through Interagency Agreements to manage vegetation on the state highway right of way, with a target of 50,000 acres treated per calendar year.
Timeframe: 2025 and annual thereafter
Agency/Agencies: State Transportation Agency – Caltrans
For More Details: Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan; Caltrans, State Push Fire-Resilient Roadways Strategy
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Action 6 Assist the federal government in scaling up forest treatments by supporting collaborative forest management and encouraging landscape level planning.
Success Metric: Double current forest treatment levels to 500,000 acres per year.
Timeframe: 2025
Agency/Agencies: Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force | Natural Resources Agency – Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Tahoe Conservancy
For More Details: Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan; Sierra Nevada Conservancy’s Watershed Improvement Program; Lake Tahoe Basin Forest Action Plan
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Action 7 Protect, restore, and create coastal wetlands.
Success Metric: Increase the acreage of coastal wetlands – 20 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.
Timeframe: 2030, 2040
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Parks and Recreation, Ocean Protection Council, State Coastal Conservancy, State Lands Commission
For More Details: Ocean Protection Council Strategic Plan; Watershed Restoration Grant Programs; State Coastal Conservancy Strategic Plan; Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project Regional Strategy; San Francisco Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Project
Success Metric: Estimate total carbon sequestration associated with coastal wetlands creation and restoration.
Timeframe: Ongoing
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Parks and Recreation, Ocean Protection Council, State Coastal Conservancy
For More Details: Ocean Protection Council Strategic Plan; Watershed Restoration Grant Programs; State Coastal Conservancy Strategic Plan; Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project Regional Strategy; San Francisco Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Project
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Action 8 Protect existing and create additional seagrass habitat.
Success Metric: Work with partners to preserve the existing, known 15,000 acres of seagrass beds and create an additional 1,000 acres.
Timeframe: Ongoing
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – Department of Fish and Wildlife, Ocean Protection Council, State Coastal Conservancy, Coastal Commission
For More Details: Ocean Protection Council Strategic Plan
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Action 9 Protect and restore kelp forest ecosystems.
Success Metric: Develop a statewide kelp forest restoration and management plan, which shall include potential restoration and management approaches and research and monitoring recommendations in the face of changing ocean conditions.
Timeframe: 2027
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – Department of Fish and Wildlife, Ocean Protection Council, Coastal Commission
For More Details: Ocean Protection Council Strategic Plan; Department of Fish and Wildlife Kelp Restoration and Management Plan
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Action 10 In the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed, build climate resilience through restoration.
Success Metric: Support achievement of 60,000 to 80,000 acres of restored natural ecosystems.
Timeframe: 2050
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – Department of Water Resources, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Delta Stewardship Council, Delta Conservancy
For More Details: The Delta Plan; California EcoRestore; Delta Carbon Program; Ecological Restoration and Climate Adaptation
Success Metric: Support re-wetting of 50,000 acres of peat soils to stop subsidence, sequester carbon, and avoid carbon emissions.
Timeframe: 2045
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – Department of Water Resources, Delta Conservancy
For More Details: The Delta Plan; California EcoRestore; Delta Carbon Program
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Action 11 Restore rivers, mountain meadows, seasonal wetlands, and deltaic and arid-environment wetlands to improve water quality and storage, enhance wildlife habitat and biodiversity, sequester carbon, and buffer floods.
Success Metric: Pilot the application of eDNA monitoring to quantitatively measure changes in biodiversity over time.
Timeframe: 2026 and annual thereafter
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency – Department of Water Resources
For More Details: Environmental eDNA Strategy 2024
Success Metric: Acres of mountain meadow wetland habitat acquired, conserved, or restored statewide, including 600 acres on the California side of the Tahoe Basin.
Timeframe: 2028
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency- Department of Fish and Wildlife, Tahoe Conservancy
For More Details: Lake Tahoe Climate Adaptation Action Portfolio; Tahoe Conservancy Water Quality & Watersheds Program; Wetlands Restoration for Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program; Department of Fish and Wildlife Watershed Restoration Grant Program
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Action 12 Increase tree canopy cover and green space/infrastructure across California’s communities. Prioritize California Native American tribes and climate vulnerable communities.
Success Metric: Develop a statewide strategic plan to achieve a 10 percent increase in tree canopy cover in urban areas by 2035.
Timeframe: Beginning in 2025
Agency/Agencies: Natural Resources Agency - Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
For More Details: Assembly Bill 2251 (2022, Calderon)
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Action 13 Support planning and capacity building to implement climate smart agricultural practices by funding growers seeking to develop Agriculture Conservation Plans and technical assistance for growers working on Agriculture Conservation Plans.
Success Metric: Number of conservation agriculture plans developed; number of contacts (workshops and webinars) with Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers to increase access to conservation planning process.
Timeframe: 2025
Agency/Agencies: Department of Food and Agriculture
For More Details: Conservation Agriculture Planning Grants Program
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Action 14 Utilize existing market mechanisms and tools to accelerate nature-based climate solutions.
Success Metric: Incentivize the application of certified compost and other commercial organic amendments, whole orchard recycling, and the construction of facilities that allow the production of marketable compost and manure compost.
Timeframe: Annual
Agency/Agencies: Department of Food and Agriculture | Environmental Protection Agency – Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
For More Details: Healthy Soils Program; Alternative Manure Management Program; Organics Grant Program; SB 1383 Jurisdiction Procurement of Recycled Organics Products; Organics Recycling Capacity Planning
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Action 15 Increase investment in community composting to provide support to an additional 500 community composting sites throughout California, including tribal lands.
Success Metric: Increase number of community composting sites by 500 sites.
Timeframe: Ongoing
Agency/Agencies: Environmental Protection Agency – Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
For More Details: Community Composting