Fire and Forestry Program

How did we get here?

In recent years, California has experienced an increase in large, catastrophic wildfires resulting in the destruction of millions of acres of forest and tens of thousands of homes. Lake County has been particularly impacted by this phenomenon. Since 2015, nearly three quarters of the land in Lake County has been burned by wildfire.

Map Source: County of Lake, CA

The Clear Lake Environmental Research Center (CLERC) is coordinating projects throughout Lake County to help combat the impacts of wildfire, promote positive regeneration of burned areas, and preserve the forest and woodlands that have not been destroyed by fire. Along with partners, CLERC is working towards creating a more fire resilient landscape by distributing grant funds to community projects, offering cost-share for individual landowners, and serving as a hub for project planning. Read on to learn more.

In order to develop and maintain sustainable ecosystems and healthy forests in Lake County, CLERC is is focused on:

Community Projects

CLERC has successfully received a series of community-wide grants for a variety of fire resiliency projects including fuel reduction, reforestation, prescribed fire, planning, workforce development, and community involvement. Community-wide projects greatly increase the size and scope of work that can be completed by including the needs of multiple community partners in a single grant application. This increases the amount of funding coming into Lake County for projects in addition to making grant funding available to individuals that may otherwise lack capacity to obtain grant funding on their own.

Cost-Share Programs

Cost-share programs are programs that landowners can apply to individually or in small groups that address forest health and fire resilience needs on their own land. Cost-share programs usually do not cover 100% of costs for landowners, and landowners are reimbursed for work completed. These programs are well suited to landowners who have experience performing or managing work on their own land. One of the programs also includes technical assistance for those who might have a lower level of experience.

How Can I Help?

Learn how CLERC can help you maintain forest health and fire resilience in Lake County, and how you can help CLERC plan and keep track of projects!