Fuels Reduction
Track our progress reducing overgrown vegetation, which helps remove what fires need to spread or become more severe.
Fire is an essential ecological process; however, many parts of the state are more vulnerable to severe wildfires, droughts, and impacts from a changing climate. Millions of Californians live in or near wildlands and other high-risk areas, and many more depend on the benefits these ecosystems provide.
CAL FIRE and our local grantees are removing overgrown vegetation through prescribed fire, tree thinning, pruning, chipping, and roadway clearance. These efforts create breaks that change fire behavior, reduce negative ecosystem impacts, and enable fire fighters to protect communities.
CAL FIRE engages in fuels reduction work and fire prevention activities year-round. Track the progress of projects funded this year and last fiscal year.
Treatment acres reported in CAL FIRE’s Fuel Reduction Projects Viewer may differ from those displayed in the California Wildfire & Forestry Resilience Task Force Dashboard. CAL FIRE’s Viewer reports by the state fiscal year (July-June), only includes treatments related to fuels reduction, and includes work measured in units such as hours and tons. The Task Force Dashboard is based on calendar year, includes a wider suite of activities, such as tree planting, and only reports work measured in acres.
Success Stories
On July 18th, 2020, two fires - Humbug and Badger - were reported north of Yreka, California, in CAL FIRE Siskiyou Unit's protection area. Hot, dry conditions, drought-stressed fuels, and steep, rugged terrain made initial attack difficult. The fires merged and moved downslope, threatening the community of Hawkinsville.
The Craggy Vegetation Management Project, a collaborative effort designed to treat 5,300 acres, played a key role in slowing the fire's progress and providing key access to suppression personnel.