Federal Government, SPI, Announce $75-million Stewardship Agreement
Washington, DC — To slow wildfires, Sierra Pacific Industries will develop and maintain 400 miles of additional shaded fuel breaks in California and Oregon over the next three years.
A $75-million Stewardship Agreement was signed Wednesday evening by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, Forest Service Chief Randy Moore, and Sierra Pacific Industries CEO Mark Emmerson.
It will add to the existing 2,200-mile network of interconnected fuel breaks across private and federal lands.
“This private-public partnership represents a major step forward in wildfire prevention, creating an interconnected network of fuel breaks that will slow fire progression, improve firefighter safety, and better protect communities, watersheds and critical infrastructure,” said CEO Emmerson. “We are grateful to Secretary Rollins, USFS Chief Moore, and the Administration for their leadership in this effort. By strategically linking fuel breaks across both public and private lands, we can maximize their effectiveness in reducing wildfire risk.”
Forest Service Chief Moore notes, “Sierra Pacific Industries is well-versed in what must be done to tackle the ongoing threats facing forests and towns in California and Oregon. This partnership will leverage our collective expertise to do strategically focused work and add to our broader collaboration on both prevention and post-fire restoration aimed at keeping our forests productive and healthy.”
USDA Secretary Rollins adds, “Our team estimates this groundbreaking public-private partnership will slash the time in half compared to the standard timeframe to complete this critical wildfire mitigation.”
The money comes from the American Relief Act that was approved in December and provides $75-million for fuel breaks on USFS lands in the Pacific Region. SPI has been coordinating with national forests in California over the past year to identify locations for the strategic work.
Matt Dias, President of the California Forestry Association, adds, “The cost of implementing and maintaining fuel breaks is a fraction of post-fire recovery. The comprehensive fuel break network that will be created over the next three years will make it significantly easier to execute suppression activities, ensuring the protection of our communities, forests, and firefighters is the highest priority.”
Sierra Pacific Industries is the largest private landowner in the U.S., owning and managing over 2.4 million acres of timberland in California, Washington, and Oregon. SPI is one of the largest U.S. lumber and millwork producers, as well as a manufacturer of windows, doors and biomass energy. Locally, the company operates mills in Standard and Chinese Camp.
