The State of California and the USDA Forest Service (USFS) have announced a joint initiative to help improve the health of forest lands in California and to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. The Agreement for Shared Stewardship of California’s Forest and Rangelands is a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the state and the USFS wherein the USFS agrees to match California’s pledge to treat 500,000 acres of vegetation on state lands per year on national forest system lands, bringing the total acres treated per year in California to one million. The projects will include science-based fuels reduction, forest and watershed restoration and reforestation efforts to help improve habitat, water quality and supply and prevent future wildfires on California’s forests through cooperative projects between the state and federal governments.
The MOU can be viewed on Governor Gavin Newsom’s website here.