RCRC lent its support to Assembly Member Susan Talamantes Eggman’s (D-Stockton) Assembly Bill 2126 related to the creation of a forestry corps program within the California Conservation Corps (CCC).  This program will provide another mechanism for the state to address the myriad issues surrounding California’s forest health.  

RCRC member counties contain much of California’s forested lands, including more than 70 percent of the state’s national forest lands.  Wildfire risk is no longer just a concern in remote, rural areas, but is becoming a wider public safety concern as the wildland urban interface spreads over larger areas of the state due to climate change and the lingering impacts of the recent five-year drought.  Despite the coordinated efforts between the state and local governments to mitigate the impacts of wildlife, much work needs to be done throughout the state to bring our forest lands to a healthy, resilient, wildfire-resistant condition.

AB 2126 helps address wildfire, tree mortality, and forest management issues statewide by creating a forestry corps program within the CCC to develop and implement forest health projects, including fuels reduction and hazardous fuels removal, tree mortality and tree felling, and forest restoration programs.

Ms. Heaton’s support letter can be accessed here.  Ms. Heaton can be reached at (916) 447-4806 or sheaton@rcrcnet.org.