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By: @Lilia Hernandez

The Office of Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced the new 2026-2030 five-year action plan drafted by the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force proposing next steps for wildfire mitigation efforts. This plan follows the governor’s initial Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan implemented by the Task Force in 2021 to offset the reoccurrence of wildfires after California reached its highest record of six destructive wildfires in 2020, burning over 4 million acres across the state.

The new action plan prioritizes collaboration with federal, tribal, local, and private organizations throughout California emphasizing strategies for landscaping resiliency, community wildfire preparedness, and creating a mobilized regional action framework.

The focus of landscape resiliency is a new strategy introduced as a 10-year approach to decrease landscapes that are considered high-risk and overly dense.  Methods include the following:

• Expand beneficial fire through streamlined permitting processes and establishing a Beneficial Fire Training Network;
• Reforestation backlog reductions along with Emergency Forest Restoration Teams (EFRTs) expansion;
• Elevate tribal stewardship practices in addition to leveraging cultural contained burnings;
• Forest and ecological restoration; and
• Expand grassroots efforts to engage existing initiatives, strategies, and programs. Other methods include expanding the capacity of processing wood and workforce developments.

Community Wildfire Preparedness efforts amplify awareness to reduce wildfire impacts, implement infrastructure hardening mechanics, and establish sustainable frameworks for wildfire preparation, planning, and recovery. Primary examples consist of:

• Apply Zone Zero regulations to implement ember-resistant areas to homes and businesses;
• Generate metrics and data benchmarks;
• Develop statewide systems for strategically placed fuel treatments and subtract unnecessary ignitions; and
• Build upon the County Wildfire Coordinator Program established by CAL Fire and improve programs for smoke notification and prevention.

Lastly, the Governor seeks to mobilize collaboration and networking across California that will address the state’s current position, potential threats, and resiliency strategies as identified in the 2026 Action Plan Regional Overviews. Core systems include:

• Update statewide regional priority plans, community-based protection programs, and interagency project coordination;
• Establish permanent streamlined processes;
• Partner with new local and private agencies;
• Expand the Task Force’s project tracking systems and reporting; and
• Secure ongoing funding and grants such as Prop 4, in addition to generating funding for local and regional programs.

Additional information regarding scientific research and findings used to develop the plan can be accessed here.

Public comments are available until August 7, 2026, with a final version expected to be released later in fall. To provide public comment, please click here.