NEVADA CITY, CA — Three state grants totaling over $3 million will fund wildfire prevention across nearly 600 acres of overgrown forest surrounding the South Yuba River canyon, protecting homes, evacuation routes, and an isolated river community with only two roads out.
The Yuba Watershed Institute (YWI) and Nevada County’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) announced the awards today. The projects span the canyon’s south rim near Nevada City, its north rim along the San Juan Ridge, and the upper canyon at the town of Washington. On-the-ground work is expected to begin in 2026.
“For years we’ve been working toward a connected system of treatments that surrounds the South Yuba canyon and protects the communities within it,” said Chris Friedel, Executive Director of the Yuba Watershed Institute. “With these awards, that vision is becoming reality.”
Round Mountain Landscape Resilience Project — A $1,123,000 Sierra Nevada Conservancy grant to YWI will establish a shaded fuel break along the ridgetop south of the canyon, about three miles north of Nevada City, treating 195 acres of BLM and private land. The project was developed in collaboration with BLM’s Mother Lode Field Office, Bear Yuba Land Trust, local Firewise Communities, and private landowners.
Town of Washington Wildfire Defense — A $1,027,721 Sierra Nevada Conservancy grant to Nevada County OES will thin 172 acres of steep, overgrown forest on Tahoe National Forest land surrounding Washington, implemented through the County’s Good Neighbor Agreement with the Forest. Crews will construct 5.5 miles of containment line and treat 1.4 miles of roadside vegetation along Washington Road and Alpha Road, the community’s only connections to Highway 49. A portion of the work will be completed by CHIRP Tribal crews. The Washington area is designated a Highest Priority Project Area in Nevada County’s 2025 Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
“The Town of Washington project addresses one of the most urgent and isolated wildfire risks in our county,” said Alex Keeble-Toll, Director of the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services. “This is the kind of sustained, cross-jurisdictional partnership that landscape-scale wildfire resilience requires.”
South Yuba Rim Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project Phase 2 — A $950,000 CAL FIRE Wildfire Prevention Grant to YWI will create fuel breaks on 232 acres of private land near French Corral, Birchville, and North Columbia along the canyon’s north rim. This work complements approximately 800 additional acres funded by FEMA and CalOES, building a network of over 1,000 acres of fuel breaks from Bridgeport State Park to Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park. The South Yuba Rim project is a partnership among YWI, Nevada County OES, CAL FIRE, BLM, and local Firewise Communities.
The three projects join a growing network of wildfire resilience treatments across the South Yuba region, including the ‘Inimim Forest Restoration Project, the Malakoff Diggins Prescribed Fire and Forest Management Program, the Hoyt-Purdon Prescribed Fire and Fuel Reduction Project, the Sierra Foothill Forest Climate Resilience Project, and multiple Tahoe National Forest initiatives.
About the Yuba Watershed Institute: YWI is a Nevada City-based nonprofit dedicated to forest health and watershed restoration in the Yuba River watershed. yubawatershedinstitute.org
About Nevada County OES: OES leads all-hazards planning, preparedness, response, and recovery for Nevada County, with a focus on wildfire. ReadyNevadaCounty.org
About California Climate Investments: The South Yuba Rim Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project Phase 2 is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Invest dollars to work reducing GHG emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities. The Cap-and-Invest program also creates a financial incentive for industries to invest in clean technologies and develop innovative ways to reduce pollution. California Climate Investments projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero-emission vehicles, environmental restoration, more sustainable agriculture, recycling, and much more. At least 35 percent of these investments are located within and benefiting residents of disadvantaged communities, low-income communities, and low-income households across California. For more information, visit the California Climate Investments website at: on my www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov.