"So early on, Newsom identified some key wildfire prevention projects, and that includes things like forest thinning and prescribed burns, and they were meant to protect some of the most vulnerable communities in California. And he claimed 90,000 acres were treated, but we found that's not true. The state's own data shows that, in reality, it was less than 12,000 acres, so just a fraction of what Newsom claimed. And looking at the bigger picture, not just those specific projects, we also found that the state's fire prevention work overall dropped by half last year, which was the worst wildfire season on record for California. And during that time, Newsom also slashed about $150 million from the state's wildfire prevention budget."
I have one piece of anectdata. I own some property in the Sierra foothills, and a couple of years ago spent considerable time talking to the California Department Forestry (CDF) fire chief for the area about clearing a fire break through it. It was part of a huge project. We agreed on the path, had the legal paperwork signed... and then...
COVID, and then,
100% of local crews were dispatched to fight last year's fires, and then,
still COVID, and now,
even yet more worse fires...
The fire prevention projects are what they work on when they are not fighting actual fires. And they aren't exactly over-staffed to begin with.
There simply hasn't been any staff to work on the big fire prevention projects. If there is anybody out there that thinks Newsom and the CDF are behind plan and need to move faster, I have several shovels I can loan out so that you can help. Heck, you can borrow my chain saw.
Yes. Although there will still be places that need work. The Detweiler fire burned across my place a few years ago. Mostly burned “cool” - ground fire not crown fire - so a lot of fuel got eliminated. Came back healthier. Still, it could use some work to create a defense line. There is a fire road through the property so it is possible to move equipment through there in case of a fire, so it is a defensible ridge. The neighboring canyon would be a death trap for a Cat crew if the fire jumped them.
the claim is that a particular State of Calif, Dept of Forestry perhaps, program was supposed to thin acreage and had not done more than 12,000, and that is proof of the entire effort failing and unfunded?
this seems to be the kind of writing that relies on a complete lack of history and context on the part of the reader, on the subject timeline and any previous events
The State of Calif. has been very, very, very active along with a hundred high tech partners and the state resident academics. Huge volumes of money are in play as the State is rich at the moment. It strains the credibility of the printed word to pass on these rumors and tortured phrases for some backroom purpose. amazing
As required by Newsom’s executive order, the agency said it paid particular attention to equity — focusing on areas with high “poverty levels, residents with disabilities, language barriers, residents over 65 or under five years of age, and households without a car.”
Is the same “equity” philosophy guiding California’s responses to crime and homelessness?
How does one apply this rubric to management of national forests in California? I don’t understand.
here is text from a 2019 ExecOrder (smaller than subsequent 2020 and 2021) which required a dozen branches of govt to file binding 45 day response:
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Executive Summary California experienced the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in its history in 2017 and 2018. Fueled by drought, an unprecedented buildup of dry vegetation and extreme winds, the size and intensity of these wildfires caused the loss of more than 100 lives, destroyed thousands of homes and exposed millions of urban and rural Californians to unhealthy air. Climate change, an epidemic of dead and dying trees, and the proliferation of new homes in the wildland urban interface (WUI) magnify the threat and place substantially more people and property at risk than in preceding decades. More than 25 million acres of California wildlands are classified as under very high or extreme fire threat, extending that risk over half the state. Certain populations in our state are particularly vulnerable to wildfire threats. These Californians live in communities that face near-term public safety threats given their location. Certain residents are further vulnerable given factors such as age and lack of mobility. The tragic loss of life and property in the town of Paradise during the recent Camp Fire demonstrates such vulnerability. Recognizing the need for urgent action, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-05-19 on January 9, 2019. The Executive Order directs the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), in consultation with other state agencies and departments, to recommend immediate, medium and long-term actions to help prevent destructive wildfires. With an emphasis on taking necessary actions to protect vulnerable populations, and recognizing a backlog in fuels management work combined with finite resources, the Governor placed an emphasis on pursuing a strategic approach where necessary actions are focused on California's most vulnerable communities as a prescriptive and deliberative endeavor to realize the greatest returns on reducing risk to life and property.
Explain what part of it? In that article, the California fire chief took responsibility for communicating the wrong information to the governor's office. I'm gonna guess the pandemic had something to do with last year's shortfall, but this really needs more indepth research that can dig through a few years' worth of records.
Newsom was derelict in his duties as governor and lied about forestry management. this is one of the big reasons for his recall along with the rapidly growing homeless crisis.
Looks like you didn't address this part of my comment: the California fire chief took responsibility for communicating the wrong information to the governor's office
Please don't use HN for electioneering. Given that the recall election is the 3rd such effort in 3 years and that said recall efforts predate this forest management issue you allude to, I do not believe it is the major factor you suggest it to be. It seems much more economical to believe the recall proponents learned from their first 2 failures and succeeded on their third attempt.
Its basically all Newsoms fault these fires are raging out of control(recently) My family and myself have lived in California my entire life and I have never seen the state in such a state of dysfunction(from environment, to social collapse etc), heres an article that puts the blame solely in his lap:
I'm glad to see they're allowing the inmates to actually become firefighters after getting out, looks like up until very very recently you could have spent a bunch of time fighting fires as a prisoner and been shit out of luck after you got out. Shit was gross and exploitative.
"So early on, Newsom identified some key wildfire prevention projects, and that includes things like forest thinning and prescribed burns, and they were meant to protect some of the most vulnerable communities in California. And he claimed 90,000 acres were treated, but we found that's not true. The state's own data shows that, in reality, it was less than 12,000 acres, so just a fraction of what Newsom claimed. And looking at the bigger picture, not just those specific projects, we also found that the state's fire prevention work overall dropped by half last year, which was the worst wildfire season on record for California. And during that time, Newsom also slashed about $150 million from the state's wildfire prevention budget."
https://www.npr.org/2021/06/25/1010382535/gavin-newsom-misle...