After more than two years of virtual meetings, the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force convened for the first time in person on Thursday and Friday at a two-day event hosted by RCRC member Sonoma County. The meeting capped off Wildfire Preparedness Week in California, an annual week-long event to help raise awareness of the state’s forest health and wildfire mitigation needs. State, federal, local and non-profit leaders in forest health and wildfire prevention attended this two-day event. Among the attendees were RCRC Board Members Supervisor Stacy Corless (Mono County), Supervisor James Gore (Sonoma County), and Supervisor Diane Dillon (Napa County). Supervisor Corless also serves on the Task Force’s Executive Team as RCRC’s representative in her role as Immediate Past Chair.
California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, who co-chairs the Task Force, announced $98 million in new forest health grants through CAL FIRE. The funding is part of the $1.5 billion wildfire and forest resilience package approved by Governor Gavin Newsom in the 2021-22 State Budget Package. The Task Force will next meet on July 21, 2022 in Sacramento. For more information, visit the Task Force website. For more information on the new forest health grants, see the press release here.