For Immediate Release

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council Adds 33,000 Additional Acres To West Santa Clara Landscape Resilience Project, Now Incorporating 143,000 Total Acres

Project will achieve streamlined CEQA compliance by preparing a Project-Specific Analysis using the California Vegetation Treatment (CalVTP) Program EIR to advance shovel ready wildfire resilience initiatives 

July 23, 2024, Saratoga, CA—The Santa Clara County FireSafe Council (SCCFSC) announced today it has increased the total acreage of the West Santa Clara Landscape Resilience Project to approximately 143,000 acres, increasing our initial estimate by 33,000 acres. The project will achieve streamlined CEQA compliance by preparing a Project-Specific Analysis using the California Vegetation Treatment (CalVTP) Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR). 

The Santa Clara County Fire Safe Council, in partnership with the Saratoga Fire Protection District, as Lead Agency, and in collaboration with other private and public agency partners, is developing the West Santa Clara Landscape Resilience Project to implement ecologically restorative fuel reduction treatments across 143,000 acres in western Santa Clara County. Strategically placed treatments will focus on the Wildland Urban Interface and areas where high fuel loads are impacting the health of ecosystems. Public agency partners with lands in the project area include: Santa Clara County Parks, Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, and the cities of Palo Alto, Cupertino, and Gilroy. The project area also includes approximately 99,253 acres of private lands, ranging from large parcels of forest and rangeland to residential communities.

The project will achieve streamlined CEQA compliance by preparing a Project-Specific Analysis using the California Vegetation Treatment (CalVTP) Program EIR. Having CEQA compliance at this landscape-scale will build off the work of the Los Gatos Creek Watershed Collaborative and the Santa Clara County Community Wildfire Protection Plan, to bring many more projects to a “shovel-ready” stage and help advance the region’s wildfire resiliency. The West Santa Clara County Landscape Resilience Project would build a legacy of public/private partnerships that plan and implement effective treatments across jurisdictions and for the benefit of many communities throughout Santa Clara County.

According to Seth Schalet, CEO of Santa Clara County FireSafe Council “The creation of the West Santa Clara Landscape Resilience Project, funded through our CAL FIRE Forest Health Grants, is a major step forward for Santa Clara County wildfire preparedness. With the addition of 33,000 acres, we are leading the largest wildfire resiliency project in Santa Clara County, enhancing the implantation of our Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). We are grateful for the ongoing collaboration of all our West Santa Clara Landscape Resilience Project partners.”

About Santa Clara County FireSafe Council: As a 501 (c)3 nonprofit with a 20-year history, Santa Clara County FireSafe Council’s core mission is to mobilize the people of Santa Clara County to protect their homes, communities, and environment from wildfires. As a trusted partner across the government, fire service, corporate and WUI residential communities, SCCFSC has led some of the most complex hazardous fuel reduction projects in the region. With a board and advisory council that has a deep expertise across the wildfire ecosystem including wildfire and environmental research, academia, emergency management, regional planning, technology products and wildland firefighting leadership, Santa Clara County FireSafe Council is uniquely positioned to lead cross-sector collaborations, government-private partnerships in Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County and beyond. For more information, visit www.sccfiresafe.org

About Saratoga Fire Protection District:

The Saratoga Fire Protection District was organized on February 18, 1924. It is an independent special district with a board of three elected fire commissioners. It provides services to approximately one-half of the City of Saratoga and sections of the unincorporated areas to the south through a contract with Santa Clara County Fire Department. By means of this contract, the Saratoga Fire Protection district is able to provide regional emergency services with local control. The District also leverages its resources by collaborating with the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council. For more information, visit www.saratogafire.org.

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Santa Clara County FireSafe Council

14380 Saratoga Ave

Saratoga, CA 95070

(408) 975-9591

www.sccfiresafe.org

The Los Gatos Creek Watershed Collaborative Forest Health Grant is a collaboration between public and private entities and is a part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment. particularly in disadvantaged communities. The Cap-and-Trade program also creates a financial incentive for industries to invest in clean technologies and develop innovative ways to reduce pollution. California Climate Investments projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero- emission vehicles, environmental restoration, more sustainable agriculture, recycling, and much more. At least 35 percent of these investments are located within and benefiting residents of disadvantaged communities, low-income communities, and low-income households across California. For more information, visit the California Climate Investments website at: www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov.