Emergency projects to protect wildfire-vulnerable communities completed
- Lake County News reports
- Posted On
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has completed work on 34 of 35 emergency projects identified last year to help reduce public safety risk in 200 communities at high risk of wildfires.
All of the 35 projects are now working fuel breaks in case of wildfire, with the final project scheduled for completion this spring.
None of the projects are in Lake County, however, there are projects in neighboring counties.
In Glenn County, the Elk Creek Emergency Fuel Break is a 1,046-acre treatment project critical to protecting the communities of Elk Creek and Stonyford adjacent to the Mendocino National Forest. Over the past eight years, four major, fast-moving fires have impacted these communities. This fuel break will also protect the Mendocino National Forest from fires originating on private lands.
In Mendocino County, the Ukiah Emergency Fuels Reduction Project is a 700-acre vegetation management program along ridgelines and roads to reduce wildfire intensity and rate of spread around the city of Ukiah and surrounding communities. The project is meant to protect Ukiah and other vulnerable communities, hospitals, roads and power supply. It will also give firefighting resources the upper hand when combating wildfire in the future.
Another project in Mendocino County, the Willits Emergency Fuels Reduction Project is a 15-mile, 720-acre shaded fuel break and 550-acre prescribed burn that will reduce wildfire intensity and rate of spread around the city of Willits and surrounding communities. The primary goal of the project is to improve roadways for safe evacuation routes. A second goal is to create potential control lines in the event of a major wildfire from the east and west side of the Willits valley. This emergency project is phase 1 of a longer-term multi-phase project located within an 11,965-acre area surrounding the city of Willits.
Two of the projects successfully protected Santa Barbara residents during the wind-driven Cave fire before Thanksgiving.
The full list of 35 projects is here.
Recognizing the need for urgent action in the wake of the Camp fire, the Woolsey fire and the Carr fire, among the most destructive and deadliest wildfires in state history, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an emergency proclamation in March 2019 that directed Cal Fire to immediately implement projects and other measures to protect wildfire-vulnerable communities.
Cal Fire, National Guard, and California Conservation Corps crews worked together at an emergency pace to complete what are typically multi-year projects in less than one year.
The projects collectively have treated 90,000 acres. Work included removal of hazardous dead trees, vegetation clearing, creation of fuel breaks and community defensible spaces, and creation of ingress and egress corridors. These projects, among other things, help keep evacuation routes open in case of wildfires.
“California isn’t just waiting around for next fire season. We are acting quickly – with emergency pace – to protect communities most at risk and save lives before the wildfire starts,” said Gov. Newsom. “The unprecedented scale of the crisis requires an unprecedented response. These projects are part of California’s all-of-the-above and all-hands-on-deck approach to preventing and fighting wildfires.”
Additionally, in November 2019, two of these emergency fuel breaks were used to protect Santa Barbara residents during the wind-driven Cave fire, resulting in no lives or structures lost.
In addition, several longer-term actions are underway to systematically address community vulnerability and fuels buildup. Steps are being taken to build on current home-hardening activities, including educating the public and promoting use of Cal Fire’s Ready for Wildfire web app to identify defensible space and home-hardening techniques residents can take.
The governor’s proposed 2020-2021 state budget reflects the urgency of the wildfire crisis and the state’s continued commitment to scaling solutions.
The budget includes:
– $200 million for forest health and fuel breaks;
– $100 million for home hardening and defensible space;
– $500 million proposed bond funding for community infrastructure hardening;
– $80 million in LiDAR and imaging to support predictive wildfire analytics and ecological monitoring;
– $250 million for upper watershed health to mitigate catastrophic fires;
– $1 billion for a climate catalyst fund which includes sustainable forestry and woody biomass utilization to encourage private sector engagement in forest health and wildfire resilience;
– $120 million in additional funding and 677 additional staff positions to support fire suppression equipment and efforts.