About Us
In 2004 the Mojave Desert Resource Conservation District (MDRCD) began a partnership with CALFIRE California Department of Fire and Forestry(at that time CDF)to oversee the reforestation of the San Bernardino Mountain areas devastated by bark beetle decimation and the wildfires of 2003. Out of this partnership came the creation of Mountain Communities Wildfire ReLeaf. This project grew as partners were added and the need became more noticeable. Partners involved from day one include, NRCS, Arrowhead Lake Association, Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council, Arrowhead Communities Fire Safe Council, Big Bear Valley FSC, the local Chambers of Commerce, Inland Empire RCD, American Forest, California ReLeaf, MAST, Lake Arrowhead CSD, Southern California Edison, Sempra Energy, Hearts & Lives, and Mojave Desert-Mountain RC and D.
This project is funded by grant funding from American Forest Global ReLeaf in Washington DC. Funding directly pays for the seedlings each year. These seedlings were propagated at California Department of Forestry Magalia Nursery where the seeds have been previously collected in the burned areas as well as current cone crops. From 2004 – 2008 over 175,000 seedlings have been planted on several hundred acres of land in the mountain communities and areas of San Diego and Riverside counties. In February 2009 approximately 125,000 seedlings were purchased, with grant funds, from CALFIRE Magalia Nursery and are in the process of being planted using both ReLeaf volunteers and CALFIRE crews at designated sights in the San Bernardino Mountains, San Diego and Riverside areas. Completion of these plantings will be spring of 2009.
During the 2009 planting season, volunteers were recruited under the ReLeaf program to help plant these seedlings during 4 special public planting days. On March 14, 2009, ReLeaf kicked off their spring planting season with 80 volunteers showing up to assist CALFIRE foresters in planting nearly 3,500 trees, in two locations, in approx. 4 hours of work time. In addition to planting seedlings in the San bernardino Mountains, 55,000 additional seedlings are being planted in the San Diego and Riverside areas. This partnership continues to be very successful.
ReLeaf is proud to be sponsored and administered by
Mojave Desert Resource Conservation District
ReLeaf's efforts are funded in part by generous grants from American Forests, as well as the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Since 2004, ReLeaf Volunteers, partnering with the Mojave Desert Resource Conservation District and CAL FIRE, California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, have planted nearly 300,000 native seedlings across several hundred acres of land in the San Bernardino Mountains and additional areas located in San Diego and Riverside counties. Additionally, many local nurseries participate by offering native seedlings and small trees for their customers.