Local conservation agency awarded $1.5M for wildfire preps

SAN DIEGO - A San Diego-area conservation organization has been awarded $1.5 million by the state to augment efforts to reduce local wildfire threats and impacts, the agency announced.

The funding for the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County is part of $20 million in block grants allocated to eight bodies throughout the state by the Department of Conservation and the California Natural Resources Agency through the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program.

Since 1941, the San Diego-area organization has administered an array of services aimed at improving forest health, reducing wildfire fuel, creating so-called defensible space and educating the public about the importance of such efforts.

"With these newly awarded funds, we can now take these successful programs to the next level by creating a regional fire protection plan that includes our fire-agency forest priorities and ensures our communities are prepared and ready to combat the devastating effects of California wildfire,'' said Sheryl Landrum, executive director of the agency. "Fire is now an unfortunate component of the California environment, and we all must be diligent in making our communities more fire resilient.''

The Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program is part of the state's efforts to improve forest health, protect communities from wildfire and implement the California Forest Carbon Plan, building on priorities identified by the Forest Management Task Force and state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.