Western Sierra Forestry & Natural Resources

Local Fire Resources

Prepare for evacuation

Confirm you will receive evacuation notice:

  • Sign-up for cell alerts thru both CodeRED and Nixle.
  • Have a land line phone that does not need power:
    Many land line telephones, especially portable phones, require power to function and often fail in emergencies. Instead, make sure you have a phone that only needs the phone cord (and no power cords) to work.
  • Do not rely solely on these alerts as damaged infrastructure could stop messages from getting to you. Instead, if you or your family sees a dangerous fire situation or feels unsafe, evacuate to be safe.

Prepare to evacuate:

 

Emergency Resources

Follow local agencies for authoritative information on evacuations, shelters, and recovery.

Yuba County: 

Butte County:

Nevada County:

Prepare your home and property

You can reduce the chance of your home burning, although there will always be risk. 

1. Build fire resistant structures by using fire resistant designs and materials, and maintain regularly.

2. Create and maintain a 5 ft. no fuel zone around your home and deck.

3. Create and maintain defensible space: 30 ft. is lean and green, 100 ft. has reduced fuels, and up to 200 ft. has reduced fuels if on steep slope with a lot of vegetation.

4. Create and maintain signage and access for fire fighters and for your evacuation.

5. Promote community-wide fuel breaks and landscape-wide fuel treatments.

Prepare for home loss

Confirm you have enough insurance:

  • Costs from wildfires start with evacuation and can include extensive temporary living expenses. This coverage typically includes food and housing costs, furniture rental, relocation and storage, and extra transportation expenses. If power is cut to their home, it may reimburse for food lost in refrigerators.
  • Belongings may be covered under both home owners and rental policies.
  • Rebuilding your home may cost more than you expect. Additional costs arise from smoke damage, clearing home debri, upgrading your home to new code regulations, and building price increases during post-fire building booms. Insurance companies recommend insuring your home up to 150% of its current value and include policies for smoke damage, home debri and code upgrades.
  • If you own a business, you may want additional insurance to cover the loss of business while you are displaced. 

Record your belongings:

In the tragic event of fire damage, having records of your belongings will help with  the insurance and recovery process. An easy way to do this is to take photos of every room, closet, and storage area, and store these photos on the cloud. 
 

Firewise Tips:

 

 Returning Home

Livestock

Landscape Triage: Before it Rains

Moving Towards Recovery

If you or a loved one has been affected by a natural disaster, it's important to know that recovery takes time and can be a complex process. There are no easy fixes and no guarantees. We recommend using the United Policyholders Roadmap to Recovery Guide to help you navigate your insurance claims. 

Financial Help

There are many sources of cost-sharing aid to help you restore your lands although they rarely provide immediate aid. Some programs may allow you to start work before the award is finalized.

USDA Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP)

A cost share program for working landscapes that can address environmental damage, including reforestation, soil erosion control and water quality protection. 

USDA Catastrophic Fire Recovery EQIP Fund Pool

A cost share program for working landscapes that can addresses fire recovery.  

Cal Fire California Forest Improvement Program (CFIP)

A cost share program for forest lands that addess slong-term forest management infrastructure that support society’s values of clean water, wildlife, fiber production and watershed protection (fuel management).

Federal and State tax extensions and relief

There are many resources about tax extension and relief, including timber loss considerations.

Erosion Control Tips:

* Weed-free rice-straw is the most recommended erosion prevention treatment. Find Weed-Free Rice-Straw Near You 

* Be sure to request "Certified Weed-Free" straw to prevent further problems! 

*  Select a size you can drag or transport in your car or truck.

* Work with your neighbors to purchase a large order of rice straw and have the supplier deliver for a small fee. 

More on Landscape Recovery

These publications from the University of California explore both short-term and long-term recovery of your lands.

Recovering from Wildfire: A Guide for California's Forest Landowners, ANR Publication 8386

Burned Oaks: Which Ones Will Survive, ANR Publication 8445

Rebuilding a Green Landscape After Wildfire: Tips for Landowners

Vegetation Management After Fire: The Use of Natives in Annual Dominated Systems in Central CA

  • Fire Wise Construction Materials and Building Code - New building codes for residents living in the Wildland-Urban Interface were adopted July 1, 2008 to establish minimum standards for construction materials and provide a reasonable level of exterior wildfire exposure protection.  Building codes apply to all new construction in areas of mapped hazard. Homeowners can gain a lot of useful information on fire resistance of building products from the new products handbook available at the Office of the State Fire Marshall. However, there are recommendations from the that exceed the California regulations, see Builders Wildfire Mitigation Guide below.
  • National Fire Protection Association - A global nonprofit organization, established in 1896, devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards.
  • FireWise Communities - FireWise Communities program encourages local solutions for wildfire safety by involving homeowners, community leaders, planners, developers, firefighters, and others in the effort to protect people and property from the risk of wildfire.
  • California Fire Safe Council –A non-profit organization mobilizing Californians to protect their homes, communities and environment from wildfires. In addition to the state-level organization, there are county groups where residents work together to protect their communities.

 

Web Resources

Cooperative Extension Fire Advisors

Current science-based information about fire across California.  Find important resources about recovering, preparing, and current fire conditions prepared by UC scientists.

California Fire Science Consortium

California Fire Science Consortium

Fire science exchange network providing research briefs and information available to a broad audience. Visit their website to check out webinars, research briefs, or “ask an expert” with fire science questions.

UC Berkeley Center for Fire Research and Outreach

UC Berkeley Fire Research Center

Emerging research and tools on wildfire in California. The center also facilitates working groups on fire research and management with state and federal partners.

Northern California Prescribed Fire Council

NorCal Prescribed Fire Council

A collaborative group of prescribed fire practitioners, researchers, tribes, land managers, and others working together to increase the responsible use of prescribed fire in the region. Meetings are held twice a year, and hosts frequent prescribed fire training exchanges throughout Northern California. 

Residents and landowners can work with local Fire Safe Councils to prepare and recover from wildfire