2026 California Policy Wildfire Boot Camp
About the Program
As wildfires increase in frequency and severity in California, we have grown our understanding about both the complexity of fire risk management and the impacts fire has on people, property, and environment. Effective policy solutions to address these challenges require informed leadership as well as collaboration across state government silos, from novel legislation development to program design and implementation by multiple agencies. To deepen knowledge, foster relationships, and support meaningful solutionmaking, the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and UC Berkeley Rausser College of Natural Resources will provide legislative and state agency staff with an intensive learning experience through a Wildfire Boot Camp.
Over the course of three days at Blodgett Forest Research Station, located 1.5 hours from Sacramento, this Boot Camp will offer seminars on key wildfire issues, including public health impacts, community recovery, wildland management, WUI mitigation, insurance, utility safety and liability, and hazard mapping and modelling. The program will include deep-dive discussions on policy solutions and time to build the necessary relationships to bring them to realization. Utilizing Blodgett’s fieldcamp-style facilities and the surrounding natural environment, we will also set aside time for hands-on exploration of landscape management in a working experimental forest.
The Boot Camp is scheduled to occur Wednesday, October 14 - Friday, October 16.
What’s Included?
Transportation: A shuttle bus for round trip transportation from Sacramento to Blodgett Forest Research Station.
Lodgings: Two nights accommodation at Blodgett Station will be provided. While rustic, all lodgings will have linens, heat, electricity, and shared bathroom access. All beds are twins and same-gender room sharing will be required.
Meals: All meals from Wednesday lunch through Friday lunch will be provided.
Reporting: All expenses made by Stanford on your behalf will be reportable per Form 700. Depending on agency policy, some staff may also need to report UC expenditures. Total expenditures will stay below the annual cap for state employees.
What You’ll Learn
Participants are encouraged to discuss and debate key wildfire issues with some of the state’s leading scientists and practitioners. Participants may be asked to prepare in advance for the seminars by reading relevant course materials supplied by Stanford and Berkeley scholars. Scheduled speakers include:
- Chris Field, Stanford
- David Ackerly, UC Berkeley
- Marshall Burke, Stanford
- Michael Gollner, UC Berkeley
- Scott Fendorff, Stanford
- Scott Stephens, UC Berkeley
- Michael Wara, Stanford
Who Should Apply
State legislature and agency staff with an interest in wildfire and its impacts on people and environment are encouraged to apply. The program will be relevant for newcomers as well as veterans to the wildfire topic. We currently do not accept applications from fellows, as this program is designed for permanent staff. Please note that participation will only be available to accepted staff, and a full commitment to all three days is required for acceptance.
Submitting Interest
Click below to submit an application. In addition to collecting relevant personal information, this application will ask for a personal statement expressing your specific interest in participating in the Wildfire Boot Camp Program (500 words max) and a short bio (approximately 200 words).
Applications will be accepted until July 17. Decisions will be issued in early August.
About the Organizers
The Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment is working toward a future in which societies meet people’s needs for water, food, health and other vital services while sustaining the planet. Part of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Woods serves as the university's hub for interdisciplinary research about the environment. We bring together Stanford faculty, researchers and students from all seven schools, fostering research collaborations that can tackle challenges too complex for any one discipline to solve alone.
UC Berkeley’s Rausser College of Natural Resources creates solutions that protect Earth’s natural resources, ensure economic and ecological sustainability, and improve human health. The College is a national and global academic leader in natural and social sciences aligned with natural resource management, international development, energy, environment, plant and microbial biology, and metabolic biology and nutrition.