A San Diego-area conservation organization has been awarded $1.5 million by the state to augment efforts to reduce local wildfire threats and impacts, the agency announced Wednesday.
The funding for the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County is part of $20 million in block grants allocated to eight bodies throughout the state by the Department of Conservation and the California Natural Resources Agency through the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program. Since 1941, the San Diego-area organization has administered an array of services aimed at improving forest health, reducing wildfire fuel, creating so-called defensible space and educating the public about the importance of such efforts.
“With these newly awarded funds, we can now take these successful programs to the next level by creating a regional fire protection plan that includes our fire-agency forest priorities and ensures our communities are prepared and ready to combat the devastating effects of California wildfire,” Sheryl Landrum, the agency’s executive director, said.