The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and USDA Forest Service have announced the signing of a fire memorandum of understanding (Fire MOU) with conservation and community fire protection groups to increase the use of prescribed fire on forested landscapes for the prevention of severe wildfires and enhanced restoration of California’s forest lands. The partnership, announced on February 2, 2016, also includes the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, the USDI National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, The Wilderness Society, Sierra Forest Legacy and a number of prescribed fire councils around the State.
The purpose of the Fire MOU is to help further both the state and federal goals for restoration and fire prevention on the state’s forest lands through the expansion of prescribed burning, and also to aid in carrying out the provisions of the Governor’s Tree Mortality State of Emergency Proclamation from October 2015. The CAL FIRE press release on the Fire MOU, including links to the MOU and related documents, can be accessed here.