Cleveland National Forest Forest Service News Release

Media Contact: Nathan Judy 858-674-2984 [email protected]

San Diego River Conservancy Awards Wildfire Early Action Plan Funds to the Cleveland National Forest

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — July 30, 2021. The San Diego River Conservancy authorized $3 million of Wildfire Early Action Plan grant funding for wildfire, climate, watershed, and forest health projects to the Cleveland National Forest.

In April, Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Senate Bill No. 85, amending the 2020-21 Budget Act to provide additional funding for various wildfire and forest resilience activities. The Conservancy was allocated $12 million through the Wildfire Early Action Plan.

The Cleveland National Forest proposed a wildfire resilience and forest health project, including fuel reduction activities on 1,485 acres of public land, 26.5 miles of roads, the construction of a helicopter landing zone, and three 10,000-gallon underground water tanks, in the headwaters of the San Diego and Tijuana River watersheds.

On July 8, 2021, the San Diego River Conservancy Board approved a resolution authorizing the grant.

Cleveland National Forest Supervisor Scott Tangenberg said, “These funds will allow us to increase the pace and scale of our treatments on the land with our State and local partners, which will help increase public safety and set us up for even more success in the future. We will be strengthening fire resiliency by increasing fuel reduction treatments, including forest health improvements, improving the safety of fire access roads, installing a remote water source and helicopter access for firefighting and rescues, providing more public outreach to support and encourage home hardening in the wildland urban interface, and so much more.”

The projects, which all have completed National Environmental Policy Act decisions, could begin as soon as Fall 2021.

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