Stewardship on the ground, education in the community
We care for the Yuba watershed by pairing landscape-scale forest work with community programs that connect people to the land. Two programs, dozens of partners, hundreds of acres treated.
Two areas of focus
YWI's work is organized around forest health and community education — on-the-ground stewardship paired with public engagement.
Forest Health & Fuels Reduction
Landscape-scale treatments — strategic fuel breaks, hand thinning, pile burning, and prescribed fire — to reduce wildfire risk, protect evacuation routes, and restore resilient forest structure and habitat.
See Projects →
Education & Field Programs
We connect people to place through hands-on learning. Join our annual Fungus Foray, browse back issues of Tree Rings, and look for seasonal walks & talks on fire ecology, native plants, and watershed science.
Events & Publications →Where we work
Our projects span the forests and ridgelines of the Yuba River watershed, from the ‘Inimim Forest on San Juan Ridge to Round Mountain above the South Yuba River. Explore the map to see where each project sits on the landscape.
Interactive map — pan, zoom, and toggle layers to explore project areas across the watershed.
Current landscape work
YWI leads and co-leads several active projects across the Yuba watershed, working with BLM, state agencies, land trusts, and local communities.
‘Inimim Forest Restoration Project
YWI's flagship collaboration with BLM to restore historical forest structure and resilient function on Nevada County's San Juan Ridge. Phase 3 underway (2024–2027).
South Yuba Rim Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project
A multi-phase, landscape-scale fuel reduction effort on the north rim of the South Yuba River canyon — reducing wildfire risk, improving evacuation routes, and building ecological resilience across private and federal lands.
Little Deer Creek Landscape Resilience Project
Forest restoration in the Little Deer Creek watershed just southeast of Nevada City — reducing severe wildfire risk, drought stress, and bark beetle impacts while protecting neighborhoods and critical community resources.
Round Mountain Landscape Resilience Project
Improving forest health and resilience to wildfire, drought, and bark beetles on Round Mountain, three miles north of Nevada City. Phase 1 is funded by a $1.12M Sierra Nevada Conservancy grant, with implementation beginning fall 2026.
Work with us
There are many ways to work with YWI. We hire staff for community education and program work, and we contract with experienced operators and consultants to carry out restoration on the ground. Current openings — and our full record of past and awarded contracts — are listed below.
Requests for Proposals
View all RFPsSouth Yuba Rim Hazardous Fuels Reduction — Phase 2: Fuels Reduction Contractor Services
YWI is seeking fuels reduction contractors to treat about 232 acres of private land across 31 parcels on San Juan Ridge — hand thinning with pile burning, mastication, lop and scatter, broadcast burning, cut-and-drag of blackberry, and burning of existing piles. Seven separately awardable Bid Items; a non-mandatory pre-proposal field meeting is September 18.
- Proposals due
- October 2, 2026
- Project area
- 232 acres
- Funding
- CAL FIRE (CCI / GGRF)
Round Mountain Landscape Resilience Project — Phase 1: Fuels Reduction Contractor Services
YWI is seeking fuels reduction contractors to establish a ridgetop shaded fuel break on about 152 acres of BLM land at Round Mountain — hand cutting and piling on steep ground, roadside hand thinning with chipping and chip haul-off, and mastication or tracked chipping in the outer band. Three separately awardable Bid Items; a non-mandatory pre-proposal field meeting is September 14.
- Proposals due
- October 2, 2026
- Project area
- 152 acres
- Funding
- Sierra Nevada Conservancy (Prop 4)
Round Mountain 2026 Timber Operations
YWI is seeking a Licensed Timber Operator (Class A) to implement a 40-acre timber harvest on private forestland at Round Mountain — cutting and hauling merchantable incense cedar, thinning sub-merchantable trees and brush, building mechanical burn piles, and constructing about 3,610 feet of fireline. A pre-proposal field meeting on August 24 is mandatory.
- Proposals due
- September 14, 2026
- Project area
- 40 acres
- Funding
- Sierra Nevada Conservancy (Prop 4)