Golden State Today

In response to the challenges posed by a hotter and drier climate, California has taken significant steps to enhance its wildfire response and forest management strategies. Governor Gavin Newsom has committed unprecedented resources to bolster the state's ability to manage wildfires and improve forest resilience.

The state has made its largest investment in fire response, with a total budget allocation of $4 billion. This includes maintaining $2.5 billion from previous investments and adding an additional $1.5 billion over several years. In 2024 alone, $2 billion was directed towards CAL FIRE operations, marking a 47% increase since 2018. These funds have expanded CAL FIRE's workforce from 5,829 positions to 10,741. The administration is also implementing shorter workweeks for firefighters and plans to add 2,400 more state firefighters over the next five years.

Governor Newsom has also expanded California's aerial firefighting fleet significantly. The state now boasts the world's largest fleet of its kind, having added over 16 helicopters capable of night operations and assumed ownership of seven C-130 air tankers. Recent funding allows for contracting an additional 24 non-state-owned firefighting aircraft.

Efforts in forest management include a $2.5 billion investment in the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan, which focuses on fuel reduction and prescribed burns. All key actions outlined in this plan are either underway or completed, supported by an annual investment of $200 million through 2028-29 for healthy forest initiatives.

California is utilizing controlled burns as part of its Strategic Plan for Expanding the Use of Beneficial Fire, aiming to build community and forest resilience through increased use of prescribed fires. Between 2021 and 2023, prescribed fire activity more than doubled.

To aid wildfire prevention efforts, California has introduced updated dashboards that allow residents to track progress in this area. New technologies have been integrated into these efforts as well; CAL FIRE has doubled its drone usage for tasks like aerial ignition during prescribed burns and real-time assessments during wildfires.

Artificial intelligence tools are being used for quicker fire detection alongside the Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System (FIRIS) for real-time wildfire mapping. Collaborations with the U.S. Department of Defense have enabled satellite use for wildfire detection while investments in LiDAR technology provide detailed maps of high-risk areas.

CAL FIRE's incident reporting capabilities have also been enhanced at fire.ca.gov with near real-time updates on firefighting aircraft activity, evacuation orders, local shelter information, road closures, and more.