The yuba project

A healthier, thinner forest reduces fire risk significantly, and it also protects water quality and can improve water quantity. The Yuba River watershed is about to reap all of those benefits, through a pilot project of the Forest Resilience Bond with Blue Forest Conservation and the World Resources Institute. 

Yuba Water Agency has committed to a $1.5 million cost-share contribution to help fund the planned restoration in the Yuba Project. This will help fund various forest management techniques, including different methods of forest thinning, meadow restoration, prescribed burns, and invasive plant treatment. 

Researchers will then monitor the impacts on water content and quality in the watershed, providing critical data to quantify exactly how forest health benefits watersheds, which could help spark additional investment in forest management techniques in the future.  

These videos explain how the Forest Resilience Bond works: