Bay Area Council Calls for State Forestry Stimulus to Fight Wildfires

With record wildfires again sweeping California and state and federal agencies struggling to manage California’s 33 million acres of overgrown and dried out forests, the Bay Area Council this week joined a coalition of agricultural, environmental, water industry, and rural advocacy organizations to ask state lawmakers to pass a budget trailer bill to promote economic stimulus in the forestry sector. Excess fuel littering the floor of California’s forests can be manufactured into economically valuable services and products, such as cross laminated timber, cellulosic biofuels, biochar fertilizers, and electricity, yet these markets are hindered by high transport costs and access to capital and skilled labor.

The Bay Area Council and its partners are calling on state leaders to invest $119 million in products to stimulate market pressures to remove excess fuels in California forests through the Climate Catalyst Fund and other programs. Bay Area Council members are encouraged to call state lawmakers to voice their support. To engage with the Council’s Water & Climate Resilience Committee, please contact Senior Vice President of Public Policy Adrian Covert.