RCPP Sierra Nevada Tree Mortality

The RCPP covers the 10 county tree mortality high hazard zone. This includes non-industrial private forest land in Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Madera, Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties. Non-industrial private forest landowners in these 10 counties with at least one beetle-kill conifer on their property may be eligible for RCPP services.

Through the RCPP, RCD staff are able to provide forest management plans (FMPs) or conservation plans to non-industrial forest landowners. The management plan is a document that draws on RCD staff expertise and the management goals of the landowner. The plan outlines the landowner’s forest management goals, what practices need to be implemented to reach those goals, and where on the land the practices will be implemented. Practices can include brush management, tree removal, soil erosion control measures, and reforestation. Once the plan is written it will be submitted to the local NRCS office to be considered for a contract through EQIP.

EQIP, or the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, is the primary way that the NRCS provides financial support to landowners implementing improved management practices on their land. EQIP has pots of funding to address different natural resource challenges. The RCPP provides a pot of funding that specifically addresses dead tree removal and forest health and fuel load reduction practices. Incentive payments have a set rate for each practice, and are calculated on a per acre, per foot, or per tree basis depending on the practice type. Through EQIP, a contract is signed by NRCS and the landowner detailing which practices the landowner has agreed to perform and what the incentive payment from NRCS will be. Incentive payments are provided after the practice has been completed and certified by NRCS.

It is important to note that incentive payments are considered income for tax purposes

The RCPP provides an EQIP fund pool that is tailored to address the needs of landowners dealing with tree mortality in the Central Sierra. There is no acreage minimum to gain access to the RCPP fund pool or receive technical assistance. Unlike other NRCS programs, the RCPP fund pool allows for work to be performed within 100 feet of homes. Hazard tree removal near structures can be very expensive, a new incentive payment is being developed to better reflect the high cost of tree removal in these instances.

Yes. This program recognizes that the high cost of removing hazard trees and the overwhelming need to take action on private lands can prevent necessary management from occurring. Allowing work to be performed within the defensible space on non-industrial private forest land is a key piece of supporting the health and safety of the Central Sierra’s forested communities. It is crucial to note, the high cost of tree removal and treatment near structures.  While the EQIP payments cover a portion of the cost, the total removal cost per tree within the 100-foot zone may be more than $1000 per tree

To streamline work performed within the 100 foot zone, NRCS developed a mini-conservation plan that specifically addresses hazard tree removal around structures.

RCPP Tree Mortality Flyer

NRCS EQIP Factsheet 2019

NRCS RCPP Program Description

RCPP Summer 2019 Program Updates

NRCS Forest Tree Mortality Strategic Guidance 2019

NRCS Forest Management Plan Template

NRCS Practice 384 Hazard Tree Removal IR and FMP

RCPP Landowner Intake Form