California Fire Safe Council (CFSC) officials on Monday announced the council has awarded over $2.1 million in federal grant funds to 20 at-risk California communities in 20 counties to conduct wildfire risk reduction projects.

Funding for the 2016 CFSC Grants is provided through grants to CFSC’s Clearinghouse by the Cooperative Fire Program of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Department of Agriculture, Pacific Southwest Region.

“California’s continuing drought has posed a critical wildfire threat statewide,” said CFSC Executive Director Stephen Gort. “CFSC would like to offer a special thank you to USFS for its support of CFSC’s mission to help California communities respond to the growing concern over catastrophic wildfire.”

Through subgrants from CFSC, these projects provide 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 citizens throughout the state.

The 2016 State Fire Assistance (SFA) grants will support:

Hazardous fuels reduction and maintenance projects on non-federal land; Community Wildfire Protection Plans and other plans or assessments; Prevention and mitigation education and outreach opportunities.

In addition to the federal funds, the projects will utilize over $2.7 million in matching contributions, both in-kind and cash. This support demonstrates the vital collaboration and partnerships among agencies and organizations to create safer communities throughout California.

The CFSC Board of Directors, Executive Director, grant specialists and staff congratulate Fire Safe Councils, resource conservation districts, fire protection agencies, and other organizations whose projects were selected for 2016 funding.

For more information and a list of 2016 grant recipients, visit www.cafiresafecouncil.org.