Upper Butte Creek Forest Health Project

The Upper Butte Creek Forest Health Project is a large-scale restoration initiative covering nearly 20,000 acres in the Butte County communities of Jonesville and Butte Meadows, California, aimed at restoring natural forest and watershed processes to enhance ecological resilience. Activities include manual and mechanical thinning, prescribed burning, post-wildfire reforestation with site preparation using herbicides, and comprehensive restoration of meadows, riparian zones, and streams to improve hydrological and aquatic function through process-based methods. Invasive plant management and the establishment of strategic fuel breaks are integral to reducing wildfire risk and supporting ecosystem recovery, while road realignment and access route maintenance enhance emergency response capabilities and public safety. The project seeks to reestablish a natural range of variation in forest structure, biodiversity, and meadow health while improving transportation infrastructure in a historically fire-prone region. This initiative is managed by the Butte County Resource Conservation District, with planning and coordination overseen by the Planning and Watershed Program Manager, Wolfgang Rougle, who can be reached at wolfy@bcrcd.org or 530-721-0164. The project is forecasted for future contracting with a posted date of July 6, 2026, and is centered in the 95942 ZIP code area of California. Although specific contract details such as solicitation numbers, NAICS codes, or set-aside classifications are not yet provided, the project represents a long-term, multi-faceted effort to integrate ecological restoration with community resilience objectives in a sensitive and ecologically significant landscape.