State Parks Wildfire and Forest Resilience Program
Department: State Parks
Program Description: California State Parks is building a more wildfire-resilient State Park System through fuels reduction, prescribed fire, pest management, hazardous tree management, facility protection and improved wildfire preparedness. State Parks has amplified this work by collaborating with public and private conservation partners.
Program Impact: In 2022, the first full year of implementation of the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Program (WFRP), State Parks greatly expanded its capacity of prescribed fire activities while also implementing critical fuels reduction projects to actualize the benefits of this investment in wildfire resilience statewide. Notably, State Parks recruited and trained additional staff, acquired much-needed support equipment, and completed and started to scale up prescribed burn activities and support future wildfire resilience efforts on state parks. State Parks expanded partnerships with collaborators such as Parks California, Native American Tribes, Resource Conservation Districts, and others.
In 2022, State Parks conducted fuels reduction and/or prescribed fire activities at 42 State Park units throughout the state — from the far northern redwood forest parks near the Oregon border, along the central coast, in the Sierra Mountains, and down to the southern sky island forest parks near the Mexico border.
Figure 12 Broadcast burn as a prescribed fire activity at Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
Figure 13 Pile burn as a prescribed fire activity in State Parks Sierra District.
Resilience in Action: State Parks Wildfire and Forest Resilience Program has:
- Partnered with the Native American Conservation Crew at Cuyamaca Ranch State Park to provide local Native American youths on-the-job work experience in fuels management and reforestation work while incorporating cultural education and learning labs.
- Prepared a1,300 acres prescribed burn for the South Grove of Giant Sequoias at Calaveras Big Trees State Park, in coordination with the California Giant Sequoia Coalition. State Parks is coordinating with CAL FIRE, the US Forest Service and the National Park Service for this project and expects to burn in Fall 2023.
- Purchased eleven fire engines and is training additional State Park’s staff to expand State Park’s prescribed burn program.
- Also purchased 12 Burn Boss Air Curtain Burner incinerators, enabling year-round slash pile removal.
Figure 14 Native American Conservation Corps crew at the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.
Figure 15 Pile burn as a prescribed fire activity in Trione-Annadell State Park.
