Damon Arthur

Redding Record Searchlight

Now that the death and destruction from California’s wildfires in 2018 has captured the attention of state policy makers and forest managers, one group wants to do something about it.

The California Society of American Foresters is meeting in Folsom this weekend to talk about forest management, climate change and what can be done to turn the tide against ever deadlier and larger wildland fires.

“The Paradise fire — the Camp Fire — that burned up the town of Paradise really got a lot of people’s attention, and so we’re trying to take advantage of having people’s attention to say these are some of the issues that contributed to that fire,” said John Kessler of Mount Shasta, who is also president of the state chapter of the Society of American Foresters.

The Camp Fire in Butte County killed 85 people and destroyed 18,804 structures to become the deadliest in state history after it broke out Nov. 8.

There are many more communities up and down the state built in what is called the “wildland-urban interface” that also face the threat of wildfire, Kessler said.

“What we hope comes out of the meeting this weekend is we can develop some strategies to recommend to other communities that are in similar environments, because up and down the Sierra there are towns just like Paradise,” Kessler said.

The Camp Fire was just one of several deadly and destructive wildfires. In 2018 about 1.6 million acres of wildland burned and 96 people were killed, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

In Shasta County, just three fires — the Carr, Delta and Hirz fires — consumed more than 339,000 acres.

Thinning the forest around communities where fires did much of their damage could have helped slow some wildfires, he said.

One of the proposals introduced to the foresters’ executive committee Friday included holding an annual Sierra Nevada forest summit.

Tad Mason of Sacramento, who presented the proposal for the annual forest summit, said it would be an opportunity for the major players in statewide forest management to set goals and then hold people accountable if they aren't met.

Mason said during Friday's meeting that he was frustrated at the "pace and scale" of forest thinning throughout the state.

"There isn't anything going on to speak of. In the meantime, Paradise burns down and Redding burns down," Mason said. "That is unacceptable to me."

After the meeting Mason said there isn't enough forest thinning going on in the state to make a difference, which he said is unacceptable to most people, not just himself.

He said that over the next five years there is $1 billion available for forest thinning.

Under Mason's proposal, federal, state and private forest landowners would meet annually to discuss how to improve the quality of forest management in the state. Initially, the meetings would focus on the Sierra Nevada but could be expanded to include other areas of the state.

“It is clear that current levels and approaches to management of forests in California are not sufficient and are resulting in a steady decline in the overall resilience and health of forests and forest resources,” the report says.

“While this might involve an influx of billions of dollars, this seeming overwhelming amount should be considered reasonable in light of the value of the resources involved and the amount of money now represented by loss of communities and lives, loss of forest resources, costs of fire suppression and cost of forest restoration after wildfires,” the report says.

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Damon Arthur is the Record Searchlight’s resources and environment reporter. He is among the first on the scene at breaking news incidents, reporting real time on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Damon is part of a dedicated team of journalists who investigate wrongdoing and find the unheard voices to tell the stories of the North State. He welcomes story tips at 530-225-8226 and damon.arthur@redding.com. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!