CAL FIRE Forest Health Research Program (FY 2026-27) Proposition 4 California Climate Bond Grants (RP-RFP-2026-03)

The application will consist of a concept proposal followed by review and selection. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal followed by a second review and selection period. Concept proposals are due by 3 p.m. (PDT), July 15, 2026. Full invited proposals are due by 3 p.m. (PST), November 4, 2026. This solicitation will fund collaborative research that supports forest health and greenhouse‑gas reduction at landscape scales through improved forest and vegetation management across California. This solicitation is purposefully intended to consider research proposals that focus on a broad range of challenging questions relevant to forest and fire management at large spatial scales, and we encourage applications from any discipline that meaningfully intersect with landscape-scale management. Research funded through this solicitation should be collaborative in nature, and include multiple partners working across organizations, institutions, jurisdictions, and/or disciplines. Projects should substantially advance their field(s) of research and produce meaningful applied benefits for any of the following broad themes: a)       improved forest or vegetation management strategies and activities to reduce unwanted disturbance impacts, promote recovery after disturbance, enhance carbon storage, sustain and promote biodiversity, improve water and air quality, provide regional economic benefits, or facilitate an adaptive management feedback loop  (including beneficial fire, tribal stewardship, forest fuels reduction, pest management, reforestation, biomass utilization, forest watershed restoration, upper watershed, riparian, and mountain meadow restoration) at landscape-scales; b)      Include a bullet point about PODs (from Tadashi and Eric) c)       Improved understanding of current impacts of large-scale wildfires and other large disturbances, or management strategies within large disturbance footprints, such as second-entry treatments in fire footprints; d)      Improved predictions of future conditions, disturbance regimes, or treatment effectiveness; e)      Emissions reductions and/or avoided live vegetation losses, improved long-term carbon storage and sequestration, or improved quantitative assessment of greenhouse gas impacts across large scales; Or f)        Improved policy related to the California Forest Carbon Plan or other State climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. The research may – but is not required to – include implementation of forest treatments such as forest fuels reduction, pest management, reforestation, biomass utilization, forest watershed restoration, upper watershed, riparian, and mountain meadow restoration. The research may – but is not required to – build off of other previous or current implementation or research projects funded through other sources (e.g. Forest Health, Fire Prevention, Tribal Wildfire Resiliency, or other CAL FIRE or non-CAL FIRE grants).