The Fire Safe Council of Siskiyou County is excited to announce that we were selected by the California Fire Safe Council as a recipient of a 2021 CAL FIRE County Coordinator Grant Award. The objective of this grant project is to educate, encourage, and develop county-wide collaboration and coordination among all wildfire mitigation groups and stakeholders in our county. We are grateful for this funding that will amplify our work helping Siskiyou County build effective wildfire mitigation networks as well as improve wildfire safety and resiliency for our citizens and ecosystems.

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Public Affairs Officer: Kimberly DeVall (530) 643-0945 kimberly.devall@usda.gov

Klamath National Forest plans prescribed burns

Yreka, Calif., February 18, 2022— Fire managers on the Scott/Salmon River Ranger District of the Klamath National Forest are planning to conduct a prescribed burn on Scott Bar Mountain as early as next week if conditions allow. The prescribed burn is located about 12 miles northwest of Fort Jones the area of Scott Bar Mountain Lookout. Up to 192 acres over five units are scheduled for burning this spring, possibly beginning February 22. The goals for the Scott Bar Mountain prescribed burn are to reduce the severity of future wildfires and provide added protection for communities in the wildland urban interface. Additional benefits of this prescribed burn include improved forest diversity and wildlife habitat. This project is part of a larger network of fuels reduction projects that stretch to just north of Yreka. Smoke from this burn will be visible to residents of Scott Valley.  Additionally, the Oak/Knoll Ranger District plans to burn piles starting Monday, February 21st. The piles are within the Craggy Project located about two miles northwest of Yreka and smoke will be highly visible from Yreka and Interstate 5. Prescribed fire is an important and cost-effective way for fire managers to decrease fuel loadings, improve forest health, and enhance wildlife habitat in the ecosystems of the Klamath National Forest, which evolved with fire. Prescribed fire mimics the effects that naturally occurring fire used to provide to the landscape. These effects include the reduction of surface fuels, such as needles, sticks, and logs, and ladder fuels like smaller trees and brush. This reduction of fuels from prescribed burns promotes a forest that is more resilient to the effects of wildfire, insects, and disease. Decreased fuel loads also help to improve firefighter safety and defensibility of communities during wildfires.

This week, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and state emergency agencies issued the “Safer from Wildfires” framework to protect existing home and communities.

Drawing on the direct experience of first responders, fire safety experts, and the latest research on wildfires, Insurance Commissioner Lara and emergency management leaders in Governor Gavin Newsom’s Administration on Monday announced “Safer from Wildfires,” a new insurance framework that incorporates wildfire safety measures to help save lives while making homes and businesses more resilient.   You can view the recorded event on the Department of Insurance’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/insurancecagov/videos/292620959556743

“Safer from Wildfires” provides a list of achievable, effective actions that will help reduce risk for property owners, including community-wide safety recommendations to prevent the spread of wildfire to other properties. This is the first time that state agencies have been brought together to identify mitigation actions that insurance companies should consider for existing homes and businesses.   Commissioner Lara initiated the partnership in February 2021 with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES), the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR), and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) after hearing about this issue in meetings with thousands of homeowners across California and holding the first ever investigatory hearing about wildfires and insurance in October 2020.   “I am using every tool available to protect Californians while reducing the risk of wildfires,” said Commissioner Lara, who is pursuing a comprehensive strategy to safeguard insurance for consumers through risk reduction, stronger consumer protections, and improvements to the FAIR Plan, California’s insurance safety net. “Making homes and businesses safer from wildfires protects all Californians, saving lives, reducing losses, and making insurance more available and affordable for all.”   “Today’s announcement is an important step forward in providing clear guidance to homeowners and insurance companies alike on the actions they can take to keep their properties safe,” said Mark Ghilarducci, Director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. “The work done by this coalition is an important part of the wider effort underway by the Newsom Administration to build greater community resilience by investing in infrastructure improvements.”   Safer from Wildfires is a three-layer plan that lists actions to protect the structure, the immediate surroundings, and the entire community. Download the one-pager overview and the full list of actions at the Department of Insurance website.   To see the full announcement and find additional visit http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2022/release015-2022.cfm   The list of proposed mitigation actions is available to download from the Department of Insurance website.        Watch a short video of Commissioner Lara joining tribal groups to expand prescribed fire     In addition to his recent “Safer from Wildfires” announcement Commissioner Lara recently joined tribal groups and firefighters from across California and other states in Humboldt County for a training on the use of prescribed fire. The Yurok Tribe which hosted the training has long used prescribed fire for cultural reasons and to protect from wildfire. Commissioner Lara supported the creation of a $20 million prescribed fire liability fund in the 2021 California budget to help tribal groups and others find insurance allowing them to expand the use of prescribed fire.   “Native Americans have been doing prescribed burns for centuries,” Commissioner Lara said. ‘It’s critical to treat our land, to care for our land, and also manage it so we do not have the megafires that we have been experiencing throughout our state. What I plan to do is continue to support prescribed burns, continue to fight for more funding and ensure we have the resources we need to continue to fight against these wildfires.”     Read more about the Commissioner’s support for the prescribed fire liability fund with the Nature Conservancy and other state groups.

The Private Forest Landowner Work Group of the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force is hosting a workshop to present and take comments on a comprehensive strategy to assist small private forest landowners improve wildfire resilience on their lands. The workshop will be held via GoToWebinar on February 24, 2022 from 10AM to 12PM. On January 8, 2021, the Governor’s Forest Management Taskforce released a comprehensive action plan to reduce wildfire risk for vulnerable communities, improve the health of forests and wildlands and accelerate action to combat climate change. The Task Force and the state’s efforts going forward will be guided by this Action Plan with an overall goal to increase the pace and scale of forest management and wildfire resilience efforts by 2025 and beyond. The Private Forest Landowner Work Group is drafting a strategy to address Key Actions 1.09 – 1.15 as described in the Action Plan. The Action Plan can be found here: California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan: Recommendations of the Governor’s Forest Management Task Force Workshop discussions will include action items and strategic plans being developed and aimed to increase forest management on smaller sized private forestland ownerships across the State. The Action Items addressed include expanding landowner education on forest management, grant opportunities to plan and implement management practices on private forestlands, increasing technical and financial assistance available for California Forest Improvement Programs, funding for rapid post fire forest restoration on private lands, and expanding resources needed for reforestation. Information on the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force can be found here: https://fmtf.fire.ca.gov/ Correction: There is no registration option. Private Forest Landowner Work Group – Implementation Strategy Thu, Feb 24, 2022 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (PST) Please use the link to join the workshop. GoTo https://meet.goto.com/364987117

Copyright © 2022 CAL FIRE, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website www.fire.ca.gov/grants for the latest updates regarding grant availability or updates. Our mailing address is: CAL FIREPO Box 9442461416 9th StreetSacramento, CA 94244-2460 Add us to your address book

PRESS RELEASE

Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team

For Immediate Release

January 20, 2022

        Learn how to Prepare for Wildfire via Educational Series

       Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Campaign 2021 Series Links

Contact: University of Nevada, Reno Extension’s Living With Fire Program Manager, Jamie Roice-Gomes,  Jamier@unr.edu

LAKE TAHOE, NV. – As 2022 begins to take shape, this is a great opportunity to consider preparing your home, family, property and yourself for wildfire. Begin your wildfire preparation journey by viewing the many educational workshops that were presented during the 2021 Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Campaign (LTWAC). This campaign lasted from May – October 2021 and it featured different workshops on how residents can prepare for wildfire and reduce their wildfire risk.

“The 2021 wildfires in our region were eye-opening,” said Jamie Roice-Gomes, manager of the Living With Fire Program. “They reinforce the importance of preparing for wildfire now and these educational workshops can help to either begin or refine those efforts.”

Learn more by visiting: https://www.tahoelivingwithfire.com/resources/webinars-and-virtual-workshops-2/ and/or viewing the LTWAC Zoom links below:

Firewise Landscaping

Plan your landscaping from Plant Diagnostician, Wendy Hanson Mazet with University of Nevada, Reno Extension.  She reviewed different plants to use around the home to improve your defensible space.

Wildfire Evacuation Preparedness

Learn from Carson City Fire Department’s Deputy Emergency Manager, Jason Danen, about emergency notification systems such as Code Red and other forms of communication to the public during a wildfire.

Skyland Fire Adapted Communities’ leader and Douglas County CERT member, Ann Grant, discussed items to prep in an evacuation-go bag and a stay box. 

Living With Fire Program Manager, Jamie Roice-Gomes, reviewed the Living With Fire Program website features to aid with evacuation preparation in your region.

Wildfire Smoke and Health

Learn about wildfire smoke and its potential health impacts. Chris Smallcomb, National Weather Service – Reno office meteorologist and public information officer, discussed smoke forecasting and models utilized to predict smoke. 

Brendan Schnieder, air quality specialist with the Washoe County Health District’s Air Quality Management Division reviewed wildfire smoke, the health impacts and what you can do to reduce the impact of wildfire smoke on your health.

Home Hardening Q&A

Dr. Steve Quarles, University of California Cooperative Extension Advisor Emeritus and the retired Chief Scientist for Wildfire and Durability, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety Research Center answered Home Hardening questions. The Q&A session

focused on home hardening, or building or retrofitting homes to withstand wildfire. To watch a former presentation on this topic, view the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-g4-kyiDwU

Prescribed fire in Tahoe and Nevada

Listen to a workshop about prescribed fire and projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin and Nevada. Speakers include: Keegan Schafer, fuels management officer with Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, and Duncan Leao, forest fuels and vegetation program manager from the USDA Forest Service – Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

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About the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) consists of representatives of Tahoe Basin fire agencies, CAL FIRE, Nevada Division of Forestry and related state agencies, University of California and Nevada Cooperative Extensions, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the USDA Forest Service, conservation districts from both states, the California Tahoe Conservancy and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Our Mission is to protect lives, property, and the environment within the Lake Tahoe Basin from wildfire by implementing prioritized fuels reduction projects and engaging the public in becoming a Fire Adapted Community.

For more information about the TFFT, visit www.tahoelivingwithfire.com/about/.

Daniel Swain ✔ @Weather_West

Offshore winds, sometimes strong, are expected to occur periodically over next 10 days across much of CA due to unusual mid-winter “inside slider” systems. This will further dry out landscape, and it’s not out of question there could be some wildfire activity even in NorCal.#CAwx https://twitter.com/NWSBayArea/status/1488477905059340291