our programs

Wildfire Resilience on Northern California Cannabis Farms

This Wildfire Resilience on Northern California Cannabis Farms Program, funded by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Wildfire Resilience Forest Stewardship Grant, seeks to address the increasing threat of wildfire on cannabis farms with forest landholdings in Humboldt and Trinity Counties. Properties included in this project will consist largely of areas where historic logging resulted in what is now second-growth Douglas fir forest with high densities of trees and understory vegetation, making these farms and the surrounding forests susceptible to high-intensity wildfire. This project will build the capacity of small cannabis farmers to manage their forested lands for wildfire resilience by providing technical expertise in developing site-specific forest management plans that will include forest thinning, fuels reduction, understory vegetation management, prescribed fire, removal of encroaching vegetation in grasslands and oak woodlands, and biomass utilization. Note that this grant funds the development of fuels management plans. Once these management plans are obtained, we will use them to apply for additional grants to carry out the fuels management actions. This project will also involve an educational component, achieved through one-on-one participation with landowners and forestry/fire professionals in the assessment of their properties as well as educating landowners on forest management opportunities through CalFire’s California Forest Improvement Program (CFIP). The most suitable properties for this project are adjacent to footprints of recent major wildfires and are in areas that are at high risk for future wildfires.

Post Mountain Sediment Reduction Program (EPA 319h funds administered through SWRCB's Non-Point Sediment Pollution Program)

Post Mountain, a small community nestled in the headwaters of the Federally Designated Wild and Scenic South Fork Trinity River, grapples with the consequences of poorly planned roads spanning 26 miles, which has led to significant sediment pollution detrimental to the river's ecology and federally listed fish species. Despite efforts by agencies like the EPA and the USDA Forest Service to address sediment sources, Post Mountain has languished for over two decades, characterized by minimal development and a predominant focus on unlicensed cannabis farming, thereby exacerbating environmental issues. Historically resistant to outside involvement, Post Mountain is now collaborating with regional environmental interests to tackle environmental challenges and enhance civic engagement, including initiatives such as community cleanups and the Post Mountain Road Sediment Reduction Project, aimed at improving road quality and accessibility. Phase 1 of this project is focused on analyzing, planning, and obtaining necessary permits for implementing road improvements to reduce sediment sources, and permitting 5 miles of road for 'shovel-ready’ implementation.

CDFW CANNABIS RESTORATION GRANT PROGRAM

Implementing drought resilience strategies for cannabis farms in humboldt county

The Drought Resilience Program is addressing the environmental priority of sustainable water consumption on 17 farms through installing rainwater catchment systems, increasing water storage capacity, and/or hardening and improving irrigation, which will effectively improve on-farm drought resilience, and reduce direct impacts to water sources during low-flow periods. In total, these improvements will cumulatively increase storage capacity by 13.7 acre-feet, a 26% increase from baseline. None of these water improvements will be used to increase cultivation footprints, farm size, or number of licenses, but rather reduce or eliminate extraction from water resources during dry periods, and in most cases, convert farms to 100% water storage.

Provisional to Annual License Transitions for Trinity County Cultivators

The Provisional to Annual License Program is assisting 77 Trinity cultivators in achieving an annual County and DCC license. The Trinity County Licensing Program-- which has been fraught with mismanagement, to the detriment of the environment and cultivators-- has been an exceptional challenge for cultivators to undergo despite the inarguable evidence that the unregulated market has caused significant ecological damage and unjust conditions for workers and personnel. The grant provides professional help to small farmers to finalize annual licenses, including completing documentation for CEQA compliance and Special-Status Species Mitigation, and allows for a open communication pathway between CDFW, CFC, and the County to quickly resolve licensing obstacles that arise.

wildlife conscious certification

The Wildlife Conscious Certification is a collaboration between CFC, California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW), Cal Poly Humboldt, UC Berkeley Cannabis Research Center, International Cannabis Farmers Association, Mattole Valley Sungrown, Sunrise Mountain Farms, Huckleberry Hill Farms, East Mill Creek Farms, Elytra Farms, Emerald Queen Farms, and Swami Select. The WCC implements habitat enhancements, restoration, and removal of invasive species, among other applied conservation practices to promote native biodiversity on regional cannabis farms. The certification standards are scientifically robust, evidence-based, and adaptive with new data. Interested parties may submit comments, questions, or inquiries for participation to jackee@cannabisforconservation.org. WCC was awarded a grant from CDFW’s Cannabis Restoration Grant Program Watershed Remediation and Enhancement Fund to implement the pilot program over 18 months, from Spring 2022- Winter 2023. This program builds off of existing CA regulations for cultivation, and will serve as the gold standard for wildlife conservation on farms.

The Cannabis Removal on Public Lands Project (CROP)

CFC is a consultant to CROP Project. CROP addresses the issue of cannabis cultivation on public lands, known as “trespass grows”. Public lands include National Forests, BLM land, and designated Wilderness Areas. Trespass grows are extremely hazardous sites, and greatly jeopardize the ecosystems in which they exist. These sites harbor banned pesticides such as Carbofuran, Sarin-based Malathion, and Bromadiolone, chemical fertilizers, and heaps of trash. The pesticides are highly toxic, and are expensive and difficult to remove given the topography and remoteness of where most trespass grows exist. Given that 60% of California’s water originates from National Forests, contamination of watersheds threaten recipient communities and dependent wildlife. Reclamation of trespass grows is not only crucial for the conservation of wildlife, including ESA and CESA listed species including the Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) and the Pacific Fisher (Pekania pennanti), but also for the safety of communities in the vicinity of trespass grows, and users of public lands.

For more information, please visit cropproject.org

P a s t P r o j e c t s

Pack Horses for Conservation: Support for Public Land Trespass Grow Reclamation

Cannabis for Conservation collaborated with the Integral Ecology Research Center (IERC) to support reclamation of trespass grows on public lands. Our pack team participated on a reclamation in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, packing out trespass grow polyline that was diverting extensive amounts of water. We received a grant from the California Wildlands Grassroots Fund to complete this pack trip support. Check our Instagram link at the bottom of this page for photos and videos of this work.

PALLID BAT SAFE HARBOR AGREEMENT

Cannabis for Conservation worked with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife to manage and conserve Pallid bats on legal farms through the establishment of the cannabis industry’s first Safe Harbor Agreement.

Farms for wild pollinators program

Cannabis for Conservation teamed up with F.A.R.M.S. Inc and Pollinator Project Rogue Valley in Southern Oregon to create the Farms for Wild Pollinators Program to enhance pollinator habitat on cannabis farms. With pollinators in decline worldwide, our goal was to restore native pollinator-friendly plants on individual farms, create habitat connectivity between neighboring farms on a regional scale, and educate farmers about pollinator-friendly conservation and management practices. To view the FWP Program, please click here.