TOPSHOT - A forest is incinerated by the Oak Fire near Midpines, northeast of Mariposa, California, on July 23, 2022. The California wildfire ripped through thousands of acres July 23 after being sparked a day earlier, as millions of Americans sweltered through scorching heat with already record-setting temperatures due to climb. (Photo by DAVID MCNEW / AFP) (Photo by DAVID MCNEW/AFP via Getty Images)
Sacramento, California – With wildfire season approaching and federal support in question, California is accelerating its own efforts to prepare. Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that the state is investing nearly $72 million in new forest management projects as part of a broader strategy to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health.
The funding, administered through CAL FIRE’s Forest Health Program, will go toward 12 large-scale projects spanning federal, state, tribal, and private lands. The goal is to treat at least 800 acres per project, using methods like thinning, prescribed burns, and fuel breaks to prevent large, fast-moving fires.
The move comes amid frustration over federal cuts to the U.S. Forest Service under the Trump administration, even as more than half of California’s forests fall under federal control. “California is ‘raking the forests’ at a faster pace than ever before. Where’s the federal government?” Newsom said in a pointed statement.
While the state directly manages only 3% of California’s forestland, it has significantly ramped up efforts in recent years. Since 2019, California has treated nearly 2 million acres and completed over 2,200 wildfire prevention projects, state officials say. The state has also spent more than $350 million on projects located on federal land, where dead trees and undergrowth pose major fire risks.
In April, Newsom signed a wildfire prevention emergency proclamation aimed at speeding up approvals for high-priority projects. Since then, 13 projects covering nearly 7,000 acres have been fast-tracked. They include fuel reduction work in Humboldt, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Siskiyou counties — often in partnership with tribes, conservation groups, and local agencies.
One project in Siskiyou County will treat nearly 3,000 acres near the town of Weed, an area still recovering from the destructive Mill Fire in 2022. Another project in San Diego County will use a herd of goats to clear flammable brush on the Sycuan Reservation.
To move faster while maintaining environmental protections, the state has launched a new fuels reduction oversight plan. A separate $170 million in voter-approved wildfire resilience funding is also being deployed as part of a 2025 budget package.
California’s investment in wildfire prevention has grown substantially. Since 2020, the state has allocated more than $2.5 billion to resilience efforts, with another $1.5 billion expected from a 2024 climate bond. Officials also continue to expand the state’s firefighting capabilities, including the addition of a second C-130 Hercules airtanker and new AI-based fire detection tools.
With federal support uncertain and fire conditions worsening, California appears to be taking a more self-reliant — and aggressive — approach to wildfire defense.
