Last week, the California Fire Safe Council awarded a $200,000 matching grant to the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council. The local FSC was one of 45 awardees this year.
The statewide agency awarded a total of $4.8 million, which will be matched by another $5.5 million.
The U.S. Forest Service made the funding available to the California FSC, who reviewed fuel reduction projects from throughout the state.
In its press release, the state FSC described the projects as “support to implement fuel reduction projects such as community chipper programs, fuel breaks, and roadside and defensible space projects. These projects will also utilize educational tools to spread the Fire Safe message and engage community members.”
The MCFSC will use its funds for fuel reduction projects “all over the Hill,” said Edwina Scott, executive director. The MCFSC projects tend to complement the federal and state fuel breaks, by helping to fund work on private property, she added.
“The California Fire Safe Council has been very good to us,” Scott said. The funds should officially be available within a couple of months, according to Scott.
This grant is in addition to a larger Cal Fire grant of $600,000, which was announced in August for removal of dead or dying trees. Also, Riverside County 3rd District Supervisor Chuck Washington sent $4,000 in community improvement funds to help seniors and low-income residents meet the matching portion of the grant.
For more information about the grant availability, contact Scott at the FSC at 951-659-6208.