2026/27 Effectiveness Monitoring Committee Request for Research Proposals to test the California Forest Practice Rules and related regulations

The Effectiveness Monitoring Committee is seeking project proposals that address one or more of the EMC's Research Themes and Critical Monitoring Questions, and test the efficacy of the California Forest Practice Rules and other natural resource protection statutes. The proposed projects should focus on large, landscape-scale forestlands composed of one or more landowners, and have a wide geographic scope or wide applicability of results within the State. Eligible applicants include local, state, and federal agencies, institutions of higher education, special purpose districts, Native American tribes, private landowners, for-profit entities, and non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations. The available funding is $1,111,459 over three fiscal years, with $261,459 in FY 2026/27, $425,000 in FY 2027/28, and $425,000 in FY 2028/29. • The proposed projects should address natural resource protection issues that are important for California forestlands. • The proposed projects should clearly apply to management activities on private timberlands in California. • The proposed projects may be eligible for EMC funding if they clearly apply to the activities and systems that also exist on non-federal timberland. • Matching funding is not required but is strongly encouraged.