Governor Newsom fast-tracks 400 wildfire prevention projects, expands prescribed fire, and unveils draft five-year action plan

Draft action plan sets course for the next five years

Today, the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force released its draft Wildfire and Landscape Resilience Action Plan (2026-2031), a plan to accelerate action to confront California’s wildfire challenges.

Guided by the latest scientific research and shaped by extensive collaboration among state, federal, tribal, local, and private partners, the draft plan builds on California’s progress to date to protect communities and landscapes from wildfire, prioritizing actions that will make the greatest impact on the ground. A new scientific synthesis, also released today, provides a strong science-based framework for the action plan, including the importance of home hardening and defensible space, strategically placed fuel breaks, and thinning and prescribed fire across the state’s landscapes and wildfire-prone communities.

The plan includes information about how the state is working to strengthen community wildfire preparedness, improve the health and resilience of landscapes, and mobilize regional and local action.

“California has made major progress over the past several years through an unprecedented level of funding, commitment to a science-based approach, and a collaborative effort among the key agencies and land managers,” said Task Force Director Patrick Wright. “This plan builds on that progress by providing a framework to work faster and smarter across larger landscapes and communities, and to sustain that work over time.” 

Members of the public—including tribes, local governments, community organizations, and partners across California—are encouraged to review the draft plan and provide feedback during the partner review period, which closes August 7, 2026. A final version of the plan will be released in fall 2026.

Learn more, share your feedback, and read the draft plan here.  

Building on nation-leading prevention funding and wildfire readiness 

As part of the state’s ongoing investment in wildfire resilience and emergency response, CAL FIRE has significantly expanded its workforce over the past five years by adding an average of 1,800 full-time and 600 seasonal positions annually – nearly double that of the previous administration. Over the next four years and beyond, CAL FIRE will be hiring thousands of additional firefighters, natural resource professionals, and support personnel to meet the state’s growing demands.

Governor Newsom has invested millions of dollars to protect communities from wildfire, with $135 million available for new and ongoing prevention projects and $72 million going out the door to projects across the state. This is part of over $5 billion that the Newsom administration, in collaboration with the legislature, has invested in wildfire and forest resilience since 2019.

This builds on consecutive years of intensive and focused work by California to confront the severe ongoing risk of catastrophic wildfires. New, bold moves to streamline state-level regulatory processes builds on long-term efforts already underway in California to increase wildfire response and forest management in the face of a hotter, drier climate.