The East Bay Regional Park District received $13.5 million from the state this week to improve its ability to fight wildfires and remove fuels like dead and dying trees, district officials said Thursday.
The district will use $10 million of the direct appropriation to remove potential fuels from parks around the region while the remaining $3.5 million will be used to buy and replace fire-combating equipment like the district’s aging helicopter.
According to the district, Sens. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, proposed the $10 million in funding while Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda, proposed the equipment funding.
The appropriation was made available after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $100 billion funding package on Monday.
“EBRPD has more than 1,500 acres of dead or dying trees affected by drought and climate change conditions that need immediate attention,” district Fire Chief Aileen Theile said in a statement, adding that the district is “shovel ready” to begin the necessary forest management projects.
Park district officials first noticed the sudden tree die-off in October 2020 and estimate that it will cost roughly $30 million on top of the $20.5 million the district has spent over the last decade to remove the dead and dying trees from all of the district’s parks.
According to the district, Anthony Chabot and Reinhardt Redwood regional parks in Oakland, Miller Knox Regional Shoreline in Richmond and Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley and Orinda are most in need of forest management to reduce the risk of wildfires in the region.
“The East Bay Regional Park District is a wonderful local resource for all of us who love the outdoors.
But it is not immune from these dangerous conditions,” Wieckowski said. “By removing dead trees and other sources that fuel wildfires, the district is proactively working to reduce risks and improve safety, and these funds will help accelerate the process.”
To further reduce the risk of wildfires, the district has prohibited smoking in any district-operated park and also banned building fires outside of designated areas for the remainder of the fire season.
12 comments
Why didn’t they receive it back in January?
I bet if you check on how they spend the money it won’t go for that.I’m sure the Executives will have a nice raise.
I bet you’re wrong. It will be used exactly how it is supposed to be used, and will be subject to public oversight.
They should use the money to rake the forest because trump pointed out that’s what’s causing the forest fires
….. That was among some of the measures that Trump said needed to be done.
Trump *was* Right !
Trump was referring to clearing the underbrush, which California native tribes have done for centuries. They started burns as they left California on their summer migration to Oregon. When they returned, the fires were burned out and the forests renewed. These controlled burns help the forests, since they don’t tend to destroy the trees. Wildfires are the result of banning controlled burns and destroy the trees. Another gift from our environmental “experts.” Trump was correct.
Now we have a problem with a shortage of jet fuel so that is grounding airplanes that fight the fires. What next?
Trump is right again.
Talk about late to the game! But the bigger question is why does EBRPD continue to acquire land it is unable to properly maintain with their existing funding?
The system comprises nearly 125,000 acres in 73 parks, including over 1,250 miles of trails and 55 miles of shoreline. That is a lot to maintain. FYI- the city of Concord only has 19,545.6 acres.
They are always trying to get more land, and then want taxpayers to approve yet another property tax hike.
will it be used to manage the forest, i.e. clean up dead stuff before it starts massive fires near populations?
asking for a friend
… let’s just hop they really use the funding for fire prevention
$10 says Newsome will divert the funds to something else less critical
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