As wildfire season heats up in California, state officials say they’re prepared to move forward with critical forest health and hazard mitigation projects — in Mendocino County — even after the federal government pulled nearly $1 billion in funding earlier this year.
In April, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) rescinded funding from its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, including a $50 million award to Mendocino County for defensible space, hazardous fuels reduction, and home retrofits.
While the state can’t fully replace the lost funds, CAL FIRE recently announced $72 million in new forest health grants, including more than $4.3 million for a Redwood Forest Foundation project in northern Mendocino County. Other awards include $13 million for Humboldt County and $4.6 million for Lake County.
“These are large, landscape-scale grants,” said Alan Talhelm, assistant deputy director at CAL FIRE. “They’re intended to reduce wildfire risk to communities, increase resilience to climate change, improve wildlife habitats, and support rural economies.”
The Mendocino County project will span nearly 900 acres in the Anderson Creek watershed, a tributary of the South Fork Eel River. The project aims to improve coho salmon habitat, restore Redwood forests, and create public access to remote forestland historically impacted by industrial timber practices.
“This is a five-year project that will create about 80 jobs,” said Karen Youngblood of the Redwood Forest Foundation. “The first nine months will be spent conducting CEQA surveys to identify any rare botanical, archaeological, or wildlife resources. We expect fuel reduction work to begin in spring or summer of 2026.”
Jobs created through the project will include reforestation, trail building, prescribed burning, and vegetation thinning.
In Humboldt County, Cal Fire awarded $6.9 million to the Butte Creek/Buck Mountain Forest Health Project on Cottrell Ranch, covering approximately 2,400 acres. The work will include thinning, fuel reduction, oak woodland restoration, and prescribed fire on both private and public lands.
Another $6.2 million will support restoration in southern Humboldt, including work in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Talhelm said the project builds on previous investments in the area through the North Coast Resource Partnership and will bring “good fire” to industrial timberland and nearby private properties.
“These are strategic investments,” Talhelm said. “We’re looking to build continuity with prior projects, rather than dabbing a little work here and there across the state.”
All funding comes from the current fiscal year, but more opportunities are expected in July when the new budget cycle begins. Talhelm noted that the passage of Proposition 4 in November — a statewide bond measure — will contribute hundreds of millions in additional wildfire resilience funding to Cal Fire over time.
“Next year, we expect to have just over $100 million from the bond,” he said, adding that primary funding for such projects continues to come from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund — California’s cap-and-trade program.
Despite the setback in federal funding, Talhelm said California is committed to continuing its investments in forest resilience and wildfire prevention.
