MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. — In the past five years, nearly 90% of the Mendocino National Forest burned in wildfires.

Recovery efforts will require all hands on deck and need creative solutions.

A key part of this approach is listening to the people who live near and use the forest.

A team of researchers has designed a process to help land managers gather and process community feedback on what matters most to them to inform a shared vision for postfire recovery.

In November 2023, researchers and forest staff delivered a series of community workshops in locations around the forest.

The intent of the workshops was to understand communities’ preferences, appetite for management actions, and highest priority locations.

As a first step, Forest Service researchers and ecologists worked with forest managers to identify restoration opportunities within areas of conifer forest, late seral habitat, and oak woodland in an integrated forest-wide restoration strategy.

The team pulled together datasets that considered pre-fire conditions, burn severity, and expected climate impacts, among other factors.

This strategy provides a portfolio of restoration opportunities for land managers to consider as they plan and implement future projects.

The next step is to gather information from communities to help guide decisions on where to go next. Your input can help managers focus on areas or resources that are most important to you.

The opportunity to share feedback for this effort is ongoing, but the intent of this community engagement is to achieve a healthy and resilient landscape across the Mendocino National Forest.

Community members are encouraged to complete a short online survey to share feedback on the places and activities they care about most on the forest.

Share feedback online at https://mendocino.forestplanning.net.