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SANTA CLARA COUNTY FIRESAFE COUNCIL SELECTS BURNBOT FOR INITIAL 155 ACRES OF SECOND FOREST HEALTH GRANT PROJECT
Partnership Expands Santa Clara County FireSafe Council Wildfire Technology Portfolio Utilizing BurnBot’s Remote-Controlled Mastication Units for Precise Vegetation Management
April 2, 2025, Saratoga, CA: Today, the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council (SCCFSC) announced that the Los Gatos Creek Watershed Collaborative (LGCWSC) has selected BurnBot as the contractor to support the first phase of its second Forest Health Grant project, an initial 155 acres that will utilize BurnBot’s remote-controlled mastication units for precise vegetation management. This landscape-scale forest health project focuses on creating ecosystem resilience, mitigating the risk of, and reducing the severity of potential wildfire, while enhancing the safety of the surrounding communities. This first phase of the second Forest Health Grant marks a significant milestone, after the successful completion of the LGCWSC’s first Forest Health Grant on March 31, 2025.
The collaborative, originally formed in 2020, includes San Jose Water, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Santa Clara FireSafe Council, Santa Clara County Parks, and community partners Lupin Lodge and Aldercroft Heights Firewise in this second Forest Health Grant project. The collaborative has identified an interconnectable mosaic pattern of priority treatment areas that, with ecologically sensitive treatments, meet the goals of the Forest Health Program and Phase Two award to:
- Protect upper watersheds where important regional water supplies originate.
- Promote the long-term storage of carbon and reduce the severity of potential wildfire, thereby increasing community and forest ecosystem protection.
- Establish healthy, resilient fire-adapted ecosystems to protect and conserve natural resources.
According to Seth Schalet, CEO of the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, “Over the last several years, Santa Clara County FireSafe Council has established statewide leadership in the utilization, sale and promotion of technology to mitigate the risk of catastrophic wildfire. As we begin work on our second CAL FIRE Forest Health Grant, our partnership with BurnBot further extends our capabilities, enabling our partners and communities in the Los Gatos Creek Watershed Collaborative to benefit from BurnBot’s low-impact equipment and precision controls protecting soil health, preserving desired vegetation while effectively reducing hazardous fuels.”
“BurnBot exists to amplify and scale precision fuels treatments that are light on the land and efficiently reduce wildfire risk where it matters most,” said Anukool Lakhina, CEO and co-founder of BurnBot. “We’re delighted to partner with the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council to bring innovation and efficiency to this critical work, protecting people, ecosystems, and infrastructure across the Los Gatos Creek Watershed.”
“I am very excited to begin work with BurnBot utilizing the latest technology for our vegetation treatments. Treatments are scheduled for the mountains west of Lexington Reservoir, as part of our second collaborative effort with Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and San Jose Water Company. This large piece of the project is starting on the heels of the completion of 1000 acres in the watershed as part of our first collaborative effort. We expect to build on our success as we aim to complete a total of 840 more acres of forest health treatments”, stated Stephen Harrington, Senior Forest Health Project Manager with Santa Clara County FireSafe Council.
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