AUBURN, CA (MPG) - The Placer County Board of Supervisors has greenlit a collaboration with the newly formed Indigenous-led non-profit organization The Sierra Fund to advance priority wildfire resilience efforts in the Foresthill Divide community.

On May 13, the board authorized the Placer County Director of Agriculture, Parks, and Natural Resources to execute a $161,000 contract agreement with The Sierra Fund to enhance implementation of wildfire resilience and forest health projects under the county’s 10-Year Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan and other county planning effforts, effective immediately through the end of the 2026 calendar year. 

Supported by grant funding from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy’s Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program, the initiative aims to strengthen community capacity to conduct regional forest health and wildfire preparedness project work through inclusive, community-driven strategies.

This partnership marks a pivotal step in broadening engagement by integrating Indigenous perspectives and traditional ecological knowledge into every stage of community wildfire resilience work, from project design and environmental permitting to implementation and long-term monitoring.

The Sierra Fund’s well-established relationships with and ability to engage tribal governments and organizations as sovereign partners, coupled with the subconsultant Sierra Business Council’s track record of creative community engagement in Placer County, will help ensure culturally informed project design solutions for the Foresthill Divide, uniting western science with Indigenous stewardship practices.

The Foresthill Divide, home to two of 31 priority areas highlighted in Placer County’s 10-Year Regional Forest Health Action Plan, faces heightened wildfire risks due to its terrain and forest conditions. 

The project is designed to rally residents, federal agencies, tribal leaders and land stewards to complete strategic fuel reduction projects while fostering broad community engagement.

“Collaborating with The Sierra Fund and Sierra Business Council allows us to honor tribal stewardship, history and knowledge in our priority forest health efforts,” said Placer County’s Regional Forest Health Coordinator Kerri Timmer. “This initiative underscores Placer County’s commitment to innovative, inclusive approaches to achieving wildfire resilience.

“This initiative is a model for how counties can elevate tribal stewardship to meet shared goals and challenges,” said Placer County District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson. “In Placer County, we’re proving that when we listen to the stewards who have nurtured these lands for millennia, we create implementation strategies that are as sustainable as they are effective—for ecosystems and generations to come.”

By embedding Indigenous leadership and traditional knowledge into project planning and implementation from the start, the partnership aims to create scalable strategies that other regions can replicate. 

“This effort aligns county wildfire resilience goals with community efforts to enhance forest health and follows the Sierra Nevada Conservancy’s mission to fund locally identified, ecologically sound solutions,” said Timmer. “Through this collaboration, Placer County continues to lead in transforming wildfire risk reduction and implementation into a shared, community-owned vision and commitment to action.”

For more information about the Placer County Regional Forest Health Division and its initiatives, visit: https://www.placer.ca.gov/9582/Regional-Forest-Health.