Healthy forests help protect your home, your community, and your California.
Healthy forests act as natural fire barriers, CAL FIRE and its partners help reduce wildfire risk by managing excess vegetation and restoring balance to fire-adapted landscapes.
California’s forests are under stress. Decades of fire suppression, longer droughts, and excess vegetation have created conditions where wildfires can burn hotter, spread faster, and threaten nearby communities. Many forests evolved with frequent, low-intensity fire. Without it, wildfire risk increases.
CAL FIRE uses prescribed fire, also known as controlled burning, to reduce excess vegetation and restore balance to fire-adapted landscapes. This proven approach helps make future wildfires easier to control. We’re fighting fire with fire across California’s diverse and increasingly vulnerable forest ecosystems statewide.
Healthy forests support clean air, clean water, and wildlife habitat. When forests burn naturally and less intensely, firefighters face safer conditions, fires are less likely to spread toward homes, and communities gain more time to respond and fully recover. Healthy forests are vital to California’s long-term wildfire resilience efforts.
Plan ahead with firePLANNER
firePLANNER is CAL FIRE’s interactive tool designed to help people prepare for wildfire. Whether you rent, own a home, or have pets, firePLANNER provides guidance to help you understand wildfire risk and take steps to stay safe.
Explore firePLANNERHealthy forests play an important role in protecting communities and supporting California’s landscapes. Watch now to learn how wildfires impact our air quality and why forest health is crucial.