California Extends Timeline for Some On-the-ground Fuel Reduction Work Eligible for Streamlining

Following Governor Newsom’s Emergency Proclamation on wildfire, the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) and the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) have approved nearly 100 critical fuels reduction projects spanning tens of thousands of acres across the state, moving at record pace while also ensuring environmental protections are being upheld.  

Recognizing that reducing wildfire risk to landscapes and communities may require multiple stages of treatments, California recently extended regulatory suspensions to allow qualifying longer-term fuels reduction projects up to five years from commencement to complete on-the-ground work. This includes projects that have been awarded funding from the following state grant programs:

• CAL FIRE Wildfire Prevention Grants
• CAL FIRE Forest Health Grants
• California Forest Improvement Program within the Coastal Zone (projects must have fuels reduction as a key objective)
• Climate Bond early action funding (Prop 4)
• Other programs funded through Wildfire Resilience Packages since 2020-2021 

Projects directly implemented by state agencies within CNRA (i.e., CAL FIRE, State Parks, CDFW, State Lands Commission and California Tahoe Conservancy) are also eligible for extensions of up to five years from the commencement of on-the-ground work. Projects that receive extensions are expected to submit all progress reports required under their grant agreements to the suspension review teams at CNRA and CalEPA.

For eligibility criteria, requirements for environmental protections, FAQs, support resources for project assistance, a map of approved projects, and the application link, visit the Task Force webpage. The deadline to submit suspension requests for projects is December 31, 2025.