California enacts $536 million wildfire prevention plan after unusually dry winter

California is stepping up wildfire prevention after an unusually dry winter, with Gov. Gavin Newsom this month signing into law a $536 million plan to reduce the danger of fires. The package is about $200 million more than he had sought to spend on the wildfire threat in the first half of this year, reflecting heightened concern ahead of peak fire months.

The plan directs nearly $200 million to build fuel breaks near vulnerable communities and sets aside $283 million for forest management. Another $25 million is intended to draw $75 million in federal matching money to help make homes less likely to burn. State officials say the goal is to limit the number of fires and blunt their impact when they do ignite.

The push comes after a historically destructive 2020, when California spent $9 billion fighting fires. Last year’s wildfire season burned more than 4% of the state, killed 33 people, and destroyed close to 10,500 buildings, underscoring the scale of the threat and the cost of reactive firefighting.

By front-loading prevention this year, the state aims to reduce the severity of the coming season. Officials characterize the new spending as a bid to buffer communities and landscapes before conditions worsen, while leveraging federal funds to stretch California’s efforts further.