Over $2.8 Million In Wildfire Prevention Grants For Tuolumne County Projects

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Sacramento, CA — CAL Fire’s Wildfire Prevention Grants have been awarded to 84 local wildfire prevention projects across the state with two awarded in Tuolumne County and several others given to surrounding counties.

Statewide all the grants total $62.7 million with Tuolumne receiving over $2.8 million for two projects. Two projects in Mariposa were funded for over $1.5 million as well as one in Amador for almost $600,000 and two in Mono County for over $1 million.

In Tuolumne the grants were awarded to a 251-acre fuels reduction project managed by the Tuolumne Fire Safe Council and the 321-acre Moc Wagner Fuels Reduction project by the Tuolumne County Resource Conservation District. The Tuolumne Fire Safe Council will use the money to expand fuel breaks protecting residents in the Tuolumne City area and clear vegetation along the Eureka Ditch to protect that water infrastructure. The Moc Wagner Fuels Reduction project is in the Big Oak Flat/Groveland area with thinning but not clearing of all the vegetation along the fuel break for 300 feet from the Moc Line to nearby roads, linking to the Wagner Ridge Fuel Break. The project will also reopen the Ponderosa Way and Jackass Ridge Firebreaks.

State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant states, “California’s wildfire prevention strategy is rooted in proactive, community-driven solutions.” Berlant adds, “The grantees who carry out this work locally are vital to this strategy. These 84 projects will make a difference in reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire and strengthening public safety.”

The Wildfire Prevention Grants Program is funded as part of the State’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Strategy, in part with Cap-and-Invest auction proceeds administered by the California Climate Investments (CCI) Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. All the work must be completed by February 15, 2029.

Specifics about each of the local grants:

$911,120.00 to Tuolumne Fire Safe Council for a 251-acre Tuolumne Area Fuels Reduction project to treat hazardous fuels east of the Tuolumne community in Tuolumne County. It will maintain and expand fuel breaks protecting residents and clear vegetation along the Eureka Ditch, critical water infrastructure. Proposed by the Tuolumne Fire Safe Council, the project builds on existing fuels reduction efforts. It is located in a Disadvantaged Community and a very high fire hazard severity zone.

$945,342.69 to Tuolumne County Resource Conservation District for The 321-acre Moc Wagner Fuels Reduction project aims to reduce fuel density and maintain protective fuel breaks south of Big Oak Flat and Groveland in Tuolumne County. It will expand shaded fuel breaks to 300 feet from the Moc Line to nearby roads, linking to the Wagner Ridge Fuel Break. The project also reopens the Ponderosa Way and Jackass Ridge Firebreaks. Located in a low-income, very high fire hazard zone, the area has been heavily impacted by tree mortality, drought, and past fires.

$908,432 to the County of Mariposa for Roadside Vegetation Treatment Phase 2… This project is a maintenance project that builds upon the roadside fuels reduction work that will be completed in CAL Fire Grant 5TR23204 in addition to roadside fuels reduction completed by Mariposa County Public Works for a total of 966 acres, including 1,500 habitable structures. The project will involve use of herbicides to treat areas recently treated with mastication and hand crews to enhance efficacy and extend the time until retreatment is required. Treatment areas are 26 feet from road center on both sides of 153 miles of County maintained roadways in HFHSZ and VHFHSZ.

$659,893.02 to Mariposa Fire Safe Council for Countywide brush and chip Our goal is to reduce fire fuels around homes and along access routes, prioritizing low-income, elderly, and disabled residents. Services include brushing and chipping on residential properties, plus fire safety education. Two options: 1) Brushing for qualifying residents, and 2) Chipping for all who prep materials. Citizen labor counts as in-kind match. Outcomes: 500 homes served, 180 acres cleared, $209,340 in in-kind labor, and educational materials distributed.

596,929.54 to Amador Resource Conservation District for the Amador County Chipping Project aims to reduce wildfire risk and improve air quality by supporting responsible disposal of vegetative debris. Serving an estimated 1,557 habitable properties, the program helps residents process green waste after conducting fuels reduction on their properties. The ARCD will provide services such as roadside chipping, community chipping days, green waste events, and disposal bins. The project will treat at least 677 acres by promoting vegetative fuels maintenance and reducing the likelihood of escaped burn piles across rural and residential landscapes.

$627,665.02 to Mono County/Mammoth Lakes Fire Protection District for the Mammoth Lakes Fire Green Waste Removal Program. Funding for a grapple truck and 6,240 labor hours for two seasons of curbside green waste removal in the Mono County communities of Mammoth Lakes, June Lake, and Crowley Lake. Labor hours include about 8 weeks of pilot programs in additional Inyo/Mono communities to provide green waste removal on a trial basis for multiple days or weeks in a row expanding the coverage depending on which communities participate. Labor hours include grapple truck operation, chipping, and working with priority residents to conduct ladder fuels removal. Total estimated treated acreage of 88 acres cumulatively.

$443,736.96 to the Mono County Fuel Reduction Burner. Mono County Public Works will purchase an air curtain burner that will allow a rapidly expanding Firewise USA Program to grow further and increase their capacity to remove hazardous fuels. Due to sharp community-driven growth and a recent, severe limit on landfill capacity after the City of Los Angeles mandated closure of the County’s main landfill in 2023, Mono County faces a severe landfill capacity limitation; an air curtain burner is one solution. Mono County is a 3,030-square-mile, remote, rural county, located at the Eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada.