CalVTP Question & Answer Webinar

November 9th, 2022, 10:00am - 12:00pm

Link to Webinar Recording

In this interactive webinar, a panel of three forestry and fuels management specialists answered pre-identified California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP) questions. 

Submissions were scored internally to ensure that high quality questions with varying complexities and geographic areas are answered for the benefit of all webinar attendees.

California Board of Forestry CalVTP webpage

CalVTP Treatable Landscape map viewer

Webinar Agenda

Time	item
10:00am	Webinar begins
	Shannon Johnson and Jon Fitch: CalVTP Overview
	Q&A
	Steve Auten: How to handle projects that partially cross outside of the Treatable Landscape
	Q&A
	Shannon Johnson and Jon Fitch: CalVTP and Planning Prescribed Burns
	Q&A
	Shannon Johnson, Jon Fitch, Steve Auten: Standard project requirements and mitigation measures that are challenging, but doable
	Q&A
	Steve Auten: Values of the CalVTP
	Q&A
12:00pm	Webinar ends

Trainers:

Shannon Johnson, Vegetation Management Program Coordinator, CAL FIRE

Shannon Johnson is a Registered Professional Forester with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). She has been working with CAL FIRE since 2004 in various positions across the state. She is currently the Vegetation Management Program Manager, reviewing fuel reduction projects (CEQA, VMP, CalVTP) for CAL FIRE statewide.  Prior to that she worked at the CAL FIRE Northern Region office in Redding reviewing fuel reduction projects for Northern California. She has also worked with the Forest Practice Program, State Forest Program, grants and fuels crews. She has a degree in Conservation Biology from California State University Sacramento and lives in Northern California.  

Jon Fitch, Prescribed Burn Coordinator, CAL FIRE

Jon Fitch has over 20 years of experience working in forest health, fuel reduction, and landscape level treatment in Oregon and California.  His background includes forest management, wildland firefighting, contract administration, and development of financially feasible fuel treatment projects. In his position as the Prescribed Fire Coordinator at the CalFire Sacramento HQ office, he is tasked with expanding the role of prescribed fire (among other fuel reduction projects) to meet the targets and needs identified by the Governor and the Strategic Action Plan developed by the Forest and Wildfire Resiliency Task Force.   

Steve Auten, Forester and Owner of Auten Resource Consulting

ARC owner and forester Steve Auten has managed forestland, chaparral, grassland, and riparian habitats on agricultural operations and large landownerships for over 21 years in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Mr. Auten is a Registered Professional Forester of 19 years with a master's degree in Forestry, focusing on wildfire tree mortality. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry with a concentration in Wildlife. Both degrees are from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Upon graduation, Mr. Auten worked as a forester for Big Creek Lumber Company for 5 years and then worked as a forester and operations manager for Cal Poly Swanton Pacific Ranch for 14 years. ARC opened its doors on August 5th, 2019 with the intent of making a difference in forestry, fuels, and resource management in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Mr. Auten is well-versed in many aspects of land stewardship and operating on large ownerships under multiple resource disciplines that consider sensitive resources, evaluating operational infrastructure, prescribing and supervising land stewardship treatments, mapping, permitting, agency negotiations, long term planning and budgeting, rural facility and emergency management, sustainability and certification, and carbon analysis. His unique experiences in stewarding diverse and sensitive ecosystems while managing a balance of economic, social, and biological aspects make him and ARC the right choice for Wildfire Risk Reduction Assessments and/or Planning, Landscape Level Forest Health Fuel Reduction, and general forestry and land management services.