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CAL FIRE Awards Nearly $138 Million in Local Fire Prevention Grants

Every county in Assembly District 5 received a grant for projects that protect communities and reduce fire threat and greenhouse gases

For immediate release:
wildfire prevention funding

CAL FIRE has just awarded nearly $138 million in grant funding to 105 local fire prevention projects in communities across the state with a goal of reducing the size and severity of wildfires. Here are the 2021 recipients and a summary of the major work of these projects for every county in Assembly District 2 – Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino and Sonoma.

Del Norte: The Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation received $3.75 million for the Smith River Collaborative Gasquet Community Protection Project. This funding will be used to connect strategic fuelbreaks around Gasquet to improve emergency egress while also protecting mature trees.

Humboldt: The County of Humboldt received $871,000 for its CWPP Phase IV: Wildfire Preparedness project. This funding will be used to reduce fuels and create shaded fuel breaks along evacuation routes to reduce the spread of wildfire.

The Mid Klamath Watershed Council received $180,000 for its Western Klamath Community Engagement and Wildfire Risk Mitigation project. This project will update the Orleans/Somes Bar Community Wildfire Protection Plan, ratify Happy Camp Community Wildfire Protection Plan and create defensible space – all pieces of becoming resilient and fire adapted. Outcomes will significantly decrease the risk of wildfire ignitions within the wildland urban interface, protect homes and support long-term forest resilience.

Trinity:  Trinity County Resource Conservation District received $2.1 million for it Hazardous Fuels Reduction project. This project will increase local capacity and reduce hazardous fuels on approximately 600 acres in strategic locations along roads and within high-fire-risk communities.

Mendocino: Elk Community Services District received $568,000 for its Elk Evacuation Fuelbreak project. This project will reduce fuel continuity along 23.5 miles of a strategic fire ridge, improving firefighting response effectiveness and reducing fire spread, improve emergency evacuations and help protect critical power and communications infrastructure.

Sonoma: Sonoma Land Trust received $934,000 for its Sonoma Valley Wildlands Collaborative. This funding will be used to reduce fuel loads in close proximity to five high-fire-risk communities. In the long-term, the projects will help reduce small tree density, promote increased stem diameter and improve water availability to healthy trees.

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