California’s most flammable forests targeted by Biden wildfire plan. Here’s how they will change
California’s most flammable forests will get a good sweeping as part of the United States Forest Services’ 10-year strategy for addressing wildfires.
The federal agency also hopes to convince communities in at-risk areas to be more fire resilient through protective boundaries and eliminating brush that could fuel fires.
The multi-billion dollar strategy, unveiled this week by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and the Interior, includes plans to treat forests through prescribed burns, thinning and pruning to remove dead plants that have built up overtime and act as kindling.
It calls for managing up to an additional 50 million acres of land in the West across the national forest system and other federal, state, tribal and private lands. Overall, the Forest Service estimates that it will treat four times the amount of land that it does now.
Scientists working with the Forest Service identified so-called “firesheds” — areas that are likely to severely affect communities, developments or natural resources if aflame. Each fireshed is typically 250,000 acres. Maps will change overtime as the landscape changes.
Firesheds exist throughout California. Areas along the Sierra Nevada are among those mentioned as a high priority.
Cal Fire estimates that almost 3 million acres burned in California in 2021. The Dixie Fire, which burned from July to October of last year, was the second largest fire recorded in the state’s history.
“Our experts expect the trend will only worsen with the effects of a changing climate, so working together toward common goals across boundaries and jurisdictions is essential to the future of these landscapes and the people who live there,” Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in announcing the plan.
The first two years of the 10-year strategy also include bolstering water access and protecting key community assets. And it stressed working with typically underserved communities. Native American sites are an example.
Efforts will also involve replanting and care of damaged lands. The service estimates that 4 million acres of land need post-fire aid.
The agency will work with local, state, national and tribal leaders to set priorities in wildfire suppression, prevention and response on a hyper-local level. By the end of this first year, the Forest Service hopes to have a multi-faceted plan to design future projects for the next 10 years — and to extend longer-term prevention strategies that fit individual needs.
“For example, evidence suggests that Hispanic populations in the West are twice as likely as other demographic groups to live in the areas most threatened by wildfires,” the plan outline read. “Pinpointing specific cultural communities and engaging with them about opportunities to reduce wildfire risk will be key.”
In addition to funding the agency already allocated for wildfire management this year, the plan’s foundation starts with money from the bipartisan infrastructure law that passed this fall. The law provides nearly $3 billion toward land restoration and hazardous fuel reduction to suppress fires, the Forest Service estimates.
The federal government has spent about $1.9 billion per year in wildfire management since 2016.
The 10-year plan comes in response to President Joe Biden’s executive order, signed in the first week that he took office, which prioritized climate issues. Biden and Vilsack previously vowed to aid California in its fight against ongoing wildfire issues, with the president calling the situation a “blinking code red” on a trip to the state this fall.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein commended the effort, noting that Congress will need to continue passing legislation to fund its aggressive strategy.
“This plan greatly expands the work that will be done and focuses on areas at greatest risk for wildfire, an approach that will benefit California,” she said.
This story was originally published January 20, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
