The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) has awarded nearly $200,000 in grants from the State Responsibility Area (SRA) Fire Prevention Fund to two projects in Madera County to aid in the removal of dead and dying trees from the current bark beetle infestation plaguing the area.
The funds have been awarded to the Lakeshore Beach Club Homeowners Association for removal of dead and dying trees around the Lakeshore Park subdivision, and the Yosemite/Sequoia Resource Conservation & Development Council to develop the water and security infrastructure needed at the North Fork Biomass Disposal Facility to build a 10-acre site to store logs at the old mill site in order to help mitigate tree mortality impacts in the Mountain Area.
The newly awarded grants are the first SRA funds awarded for tree mortality mitigation projects, an area in dire need of funding in light of the Governor’s recent emergency proclamation. Both grants are still pending, contingent on a number of required documents that must be submitted to the State by March 8, 2016.