March 2024
From Seth Schalet, Santa Clara County FireSafe Council CEO
The San Francisco Giants reported to Scottsdale on February 14. Games began on February 24. All is right with the world. Well, one can wish, but you can set your clock with what Spring brings. Unfortunately, for those in the Texas Panhandle, Spring has exploded into the largest ever wildfire in Texas. One million plus acers and growing as I write. We here in California know what they are going through. Thinking of them as we prepare for what traditionally is considered the start of our “fire season” here in California. That said, my friends at the Western Fire Chiefs Association say “the length of the fire season in any given year in California depends on summer temperatures, rainfall, and wind, with the most fires historically occurring between May and October. However, recent data show that, due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall, the season is beginning earlier and ending later each year, approaching a year-round fire season.”
Since our last newsletter, the work at the Santa Clara FireSafe Council has continued. Our Forest Health Grant team has battled the inclement weather, and that has resulted in some reduced acreage, but has not halted our activities as you will learn. I want to express my gratitude to both our staff and our collaboration partners for their efforts coordinating and working through these issues with us.
On February 7th, Amanda Brenner Cannon and yours truly presented to the Santa Clara County Fire Chiefs Association on our Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), our progress and our asks for support going forward with annex engagement. We answered their questions and are most grateful for the support we received, and the ability to ensure all County Fire Chiefs are up to date on this project. More to follow.
A few weeks back, I submitted our response to the Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) on their requested response to the final Countywide Fire Service Review Report recommendations that were adopted by LAFCO on October 4, 2023. Our response was comprehensive, and we agree with the recommendations LAFCO and their consultant, AP Triton, made for work they would like the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council to prioritize. As an independent, 501(c) 3 nonprofit, we require dedicated, full-cost funding to take on any of the recommendations, and we look forward to moving this forward so we can add these important projects to future work plans. I want to thank the LAFCO staff and commissioners for their engagement during this process.
On February 21, I attended the California Fire Safe Council (CFSC) board meeting in Sacramento. It was great to meet many of the staff that we talk with and see on the small Zoom screens regularly. Additionally, I spent the day with the CFSC board, listening and providing occasional input during their board discussions. CSFC has an experienced and dedicated team of board members, and I am grateful to build those personal relationships and understand their strategy, challenges, opportunities and goals for the organization going forward. I came away confident that CFSC is well positioned to deepen our impact throughout the state and thank the board for their invitation.
Do Vegetation Fuel Reduction Treatments Alter Forest Fire Severity & Carbon Stability in California Forests? That is the $64,000 question to determine the efficacy of fuels mitigation projects & costs.
Join our March 19th Board Presentation to find out.
One of the study's lead authors, Anna Trugman, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara will present the findings from this new and important study. Thanks to my friend Genevieve Biggs at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for tipping me off to this terrific work.
Study: Do Vegetation Fuel Reduction Treatments Alter Forest Fire Severity and Carbon Stability in California Forests?
Finally, I am pleased to announce that I have been invited to deliver the Keynote Address on April 5th for the Stanford University Big Earth Wildfire Hackathon. More on this later in the newsletter, including a recent interview I did with Derek Fong, Senior Research Engineer and Lecturer who tells the Hackathon story and shares his vision for the event. We hope you can attend the keynote address.
As I close out, and turn it over to the team, we have included some of the articles, research papers, webinars, and presentations I found interesting and hope that you will, too.
Sincerely,
Seth Schalet
CEO, Santa Clara County FireSafe Council
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