The governor of California, Gavin Newsomannounced the addition of six CAL FIRE HAWK helicopters to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's CAL FIRE fleet. He pledged an investment of more than $2 billion for wildfire fighting and emergency preparedness, the largest in the state's history.
Newsom detailed Tuesday at McClellan Air Force Bases that with new investments in state-of-the-art firefighting technology and equipment, as well as a focus on building resiliency through fuel breaks, forest health projects and hardening housing to protect high-risk communities, "the state is more prepared than ever to face seasonal wildfires."
Newsom's California Recovery Plan, proposes $2 billion for disaster preparedness, including urgent action to support wildfire suppression, improve forest health and build resilience in communities to help protect residents and property from catastrophic wildfires.
California Recovery Plan
Firefighting investments include $48.4 million for the phased installation of 12 new CAL FIRE HAWK helicopters and seven large air tankers; $143.3 million to support 30 additional firefighting crews; and $708 million to restore landscape and forest health to make them more resilient to wildfires.
Notably, the California Recovery Plan includes expanded investments for sustainable approaches and reducing vulnerable landscapes, as well as funding to promote approximately 500 fuel break projects, which played a key role in containing wildfires in 2020.
In turn, the governor announced during April that he is expanding and refocusing the Forest Stewardship Task Force to meet key commitments of the Forest and Wildfire Resilience Action Plan issued in January.
The group, comprised of federal, local and tribal leaders, builds on the state's collaborative effort to improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk to communities.
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