Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation
CAL FIRE 2019 to 2026 Achievements
California has significantly expanded wildfire prevention and forest resilience efforts, with CAL FIRE treating an average of 120,000 acres annually, doubling prescribed fire use since 2019, and reducing barriers through burn boss training, streamlined permitting, and a Prescribed Fire Claims Fund.
Fuels Reduction Pace and Scale
- Expanded wildfire prevention: California has increased investments in wildfire prevention and forest resilience over the past five years to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health.
- Increased fuels reduction: CAL FIRE treats an average of 120,000 acres annually, while prescribed fire use has grown significantly since 2019, reaching an average of 44,000 acres per year.
- More prescribed fire training: CAL FIRE developed Certified Burn Boss training to expand the safe use of prescribed fire, certifying 71 burn bosses statewide.
- Streamlined burning and reduced barriers: More than 330,000 online burn permits have enabled fuel reduction across 1.3 million acres. The state also established the Prescribed Fire Claims Fund to provide an insurance backstop for certified burn bosses.
Fuels Reduction Projects
Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation
- Home wildfire mitigation: Working in partnership with CalOES to pilot the Community Wildfire Mitigation Program (CWMP) across six counties, CAL FIRE has completed retrofits on over 190 homes, directly benefiting over 450 residents.
- The most Firewise Communities in the nation: The Office of the State Fire Marshal has now recognized more than 1,700 Firewise communities working to reduce local and community risk, representing 47% of the total Firewise Communities in the USA.
- Broader community impact: These improvements also help strengthen neighborhood and community resilience by reducing wildfire risk beyond the individual homes protected making it more likely that individual homes and even whole communities will survive the impacts of catastrophic wildfire.
