FRAP website: a treasure trove of information

The Fire and Resource Assessment Program of CDF, affectionately known as FRAP, is responsible for assessing the amount and extent of California's forests and rangelands, analyzing their conditions, and identifying alternative management and policy guidelines.

To this end, the FRAP website is filled with information and goodies of all types. FRAP projects fall into the following general categories:

• people
• land
• cover
• fire
• watersheds
• forests
• hardwoods & range

Projects address diverse important issues within the state, such as project development patterns and associated impacts, monitoring vegetation change by magnitude of change and cause, even issues related to Pitch Canker.

What can you expect to find on the website? There are maps, for example the interactive “Salmon and Watersheds Mapping Tool” that allows you to identify if a specific area is within a threatened or impaired watershed for the purpose of the new Forest Practice Rules. There are scores of publications, most of which can be accessed online. There are also numerous captivating studies, for example “Bioregional Demographic Trends and Implications for Biodiversity” or “How Will Increased Population Affect Wildfire Incidence?” And for those who like statistics, this is definitely the place to be. Charts and graphs abound, allowing you to draw your own conclusions on important questions related to forestry.

Find the FRAP website at http://frap.cdf.ca.gov