California Fire Management Program

Protecting people, property, and resources from wildfires is a challenge in any State. However, an extremely unusual set of factors make doing this critical job in California even more difficult and complex:  

• 38 million people
• Over 2,000 identified communities at risk
• Increasing development in the wildlands
• Unusual and ever-changing weather conditions
• Tree mortality - 129 million dead trees statewide

Years of severe drought and a dramatic rise in bark beetle infestation are leading to historic levels of tree die-off, which contributes to increased fire risk. The BLM is a member of the California Forest Management Task Force.

California's Federal, State, and local wildland firefighting agencies have formed extraordinary partnerships to fight fires, and together with local communities, to prevent or lessen fire danger. Thanks to an interagency cooperative fire protection agreement, Californians have one of the best coordinated fire suppression efforts in the country, with the State divided into "direct protection areas" where one agency takes the lead in initially attacking fires, drawing on the resources of the others as necessary.