Costly new wildfire suppression effort unlikely to prevent catastrophic fires

SACRAMENTO – A wildfire suppression plan adopted Dec. 30 by the California Board of Forestry could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars but will do very little to actually reduce fire risk for communities throughout the state.

Proposed by Cal Fire, the state’s fire management agency, the new Vegetation Treatment Program is expected to be ineffectual against wind-driven fires. The state’s massive financial commitment to this program is puzzling, as it is wind-driven wildfires that caused the devastating loss of life and property associated with the largescale fires seen in the state i...