California plans $536M for forests
Surplus allows more firefighting spending
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will authorize $536 million toward forest management projects and efforts to reduce wildfires before the worst of the fire season strikes later this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders said Thursday.
That more than doubles $200 million in recent annual spending, advocates said, and wildfire preparedness grants were dropped entirely last year when the state prematurely anticipated a pandemic-driven budget shortfall.
Armed now with an unexpected multibillion-dollar surplus, lawmakers plan to add the money to this fiscal year’s budget before considering even more in the new spending plan that takes effect July 1.
Newsom said lawmakers “wanted to move forward more aggressively” to immediately allocate more than half the $1 billion that he had sought to spend starting in the second half of the year. That will “get these projects moving … so we’re prepared for this upcoming wildfire season.”
In January, Newsom had proposed spending $323 million this spring on forest health and fire prevention projects.
Officials are rushing to thin forests, build fuel breaks around vulnerable
communities and allow for planned burns before a dry winter turns into a tinder-dry summer. Last year’s record-setting wildfire season charred more than 4 percent of the state while destroying nearly 10,500 buildings and killing 33 people.
This month, the governor used his emergency powers to authorize nearly $81 million to hire nearly 1,400 additional firefighters. He said the firefighting and mitigation efforts are in addition to the state’s many long-term efforts to fight climate change that is worsening fires
and droughts.
Lawmakers said Thursday’s agreement expands on the governor’s January budget proposal with more short- and long-term spending on vegetation management on both public and private land, clearing space around homes and making them less vulnerable to wildfires, fire prevention grants and prevention workforce training. It also includes $25 million in economic stimulus for the forestry economy.
The new plan is in Assembly and Senate budget bills.