2020 was a record wildfire year and as thick smoke filled the air throughout the summer as historic, destructive fires ran rampant in California.
Last year featured five of California’s six largest wildfires, and all were burning at the same time. More than four million acres burned across the state, which is double the previous record.
California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan was released on Jan. 8 to give a comprehensive and direct action plan for the state to reduce wildfire risk, improve the health of forests and wildlands along with battling climate change.
The plan gives a strategy to tackle statewide projects on half a million acres every year by 2025 to meet the state’s target.
“Following a record 4.2 million acres burned in 2020, The Nature Conservancy strongly supports the $1 billion commitment for fire prevention actions from Governor Newsom in his FY 2021-22 budget proposal. This funding is a critical step towards improving wildfire resilience and saving lives across California,” said Jay Ziegler, Director of External Affairs and Policy, The Nature Conservancy in California. “Fires have killed 134 people, destroyed 44,000 structures and polluted the air across our state over the last four years, and California continues to face an unprecedented risk of megafires exacerbated by a changing climate. Governor Newsom’s proposed budget includes the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan , an important road map to increasing wildfire prevention in California including forest restoration, prescribed fire, and resilience-building for high-risk communities.