On June 27, Governor Newsom signed the Budget Act of 2025 which the California Legislature passed on June 13. It is expected that budget-related negotiations will continue into the summer with budget trailer bills voted on before the close of the legislative session on September 12. Specific natural resource highlights of this budget include:

• Approving the Cap and Invest May Revision Finance Letter with a $1 billion fund shift in 2025-26 for CAL FIRE operations and the remaining Greenhouse Gas Reduction (GGRF) dollars to be appropriated later.
• Adopting intent language to fund shift future GGRF revenue to CAL FIRE baseline operations if a General Fund deficit exists, including: $1.25 billion in 2026-27, $500 million in 2027-28, and $500 million in 2028-29. If a deficit does not exist, $500 million in 2026-27 shall still be fund shifted.
• Deferring reauthorization of the State’s Cap and Invest program to the summer, along with further allocations of funds derived from the program.
• $12.5 million from the General Fund for a new community home hardening program consisting of $9.5 million for the Wildfire County Coordinator Program and $3 million for a new home hardening certification program under the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
• $10 million from the General Fund, for incarcerated individuals who serve in the Conservation (Fire) Camp Program. This program provides a workforce for suppression and other conservation work.
• Transitioning 3,000 seasonal firefighter positions to permanent (year-round) positions, phased over three years.

June 5, 2025 – Nearly $72 Million Awarded to Landscape-Scale Forest Health Projects: CAL FIRE’s Forest Health Program has awarded $72 million to 12 grants to local and regional partners carrying out projects on state, local, tribal, federal, and private lands. Funded projects will employ a wide array of forest management strategies, with goals of wildfire resilience, watershed protection, habitat conservation for endangered species, recovery of fire-scarred and drought-impacted forests, and the reintroduction of fire as a natural ecological process. Several of the funded projects also include community outreach and long-term strategic planning through the California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP); three-fourths of the awarded projects will benefit disadvantaged or low-income communities.

June 27, 2025 – $5.9 Million Awarded to Support Cutting-Edge Scientific Research: CAL FIRE’s Forest Health Research Program has awarded $5.9 million to support 15 scientific research studies that are expected to increase our understanding of relatively understudied vegetation types like chaparral, mountain meadows, and oak woodlands; strengthen frameworks for evaluating costs and benefits of fuel treatment strategies; and expand cutting-edge tools for forest monitoring and prescribed fire planning.

June 25, 2025 – Up to $135 Million is Available for Wildfire Prevention Projects: On June 25, CAL FIRE’s Wildfire Prevention Grants Program announced the solicitation for projects in and near fire threatened communities to improve public health and safety. Project types include hazardous fuels reductions, wildfire prevention planning, and wildfire prevention education. The deadline for applications is August 6.

June 16, 2025 – Expedited by the Governor’s Emergency Proclamation on wildfire, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) is accepting statements of interest for its Wildfire and Forest Resilience Directed Grant Program. Funded through Proposition 4 (Climate Bond), the grant program will provide $10 million for multi-benefit projects within the Sierra-Cascade region that will protect communities and promote landscape health and resilience. SNC has also opened a solicitation for their $4.1 million Sustainable Recreation, Tourism, and Equitable Outdoor Access grant program.