On Tuesday, CAL FIRE announced the award of $3 million in grants from the State Responsibility Area (SRA) Fire Prevention Fund for projects around the state that target reducing the increased threat of wildfires due to the ongoing drought and significant tree mortality.  The announcement marks the second round of grants awarded since the beginning of the year to assist local fire departments and fire districts in creating projects that reduce the risk of wildfire in and around communities in the SRA, bringing the total amount of awarded SRA Fire Prevention Fund grants to $5 million.  

Funding for tree mortality and wildfire mitigation projects has been a topic of intense dialogue in Sacramento recently, with both Senate and Assembly Budget Subcommittees hearing discussions on CAL FIRE’s 2016-17 budget allocations from both the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and the SRA Fire Prevention Fund.  The Assembly Natural Resources Committee also passed Assembly Bill 2146 (Patterson) this week, which would provide a large allocation to CAL FIRE from Cap-and-Trade dollars for forest health and resilience programs on both state and federal lands while prioritizing economic growth in rural forested communities.

A list of the project grant recipients can be accessed here.