Lake County highlights home‑hardening milestone and PG&E pilot to remove hazardous trees

Supervisor reports at a Lake County Board of Supervisors meeting detailed two ongoing wildfire‑mitigation efforts: a local home‑hardening pilot that reached its 20th completed house, and a PG&E pilot program that is collecting tree biomass for treatment in a Middletown carbonizer.

The board members said the home‑hardening project — described as the county’s pilot and the first in the state to begin actual work — has completed 20 houses, putting it “right on target,” and drew state and regional partners to a recent site tour. County officials also described a separate pilot in Middletown in which PG&E is removing cut trees and sending them to an on‑site carbonizer that produces biochar and reduces smoke compared with open burning.

Together, the initiatives are intended to reduce wildfire risk to structures and communities.

County staff and outside agencies attended a tour of the home‑hardening project that included representatives from Napa and Sonoma counties, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), Cal Fire and local organizations, Supervisor A said. The board said the county’s project began work before other statewide pilots and is now a reference point for neighboring counties.

Supervisor A said PG&E has hired contractors to collect trees the utility cut near infrastructure and bring the biomass to the Middletown site. The county report said the carbonizer produces “very little smoke” and converts the removed biomass into biochar, avoiding hauling the material out of county.

Officials credited advocacy by the county and associations — including the Rural County Representatives of California and the California State Association of Counties — for pushing PG&E to remove tree piles the utility left beside homes and roads after cutting them to protect its lines.

County staff handled permitting for the Middletown site, and supervisors described the work as a local effort to remove hazard fuels without long‑distance hauling. No new county policy or vote was recorded during the report; supervisors described ongoing interagency coordination and outreach.

The reports also noted related meetings on wildfire policy: the supervisor said she planned to attend the Wildfire Task Force meeting and a reception where climate scientist Daniel Swain would speak.

Ending: The board’s comments framed the home‑hardening and biomass removal as continuing, coordinated efforts; supervisors said additional site visits and interagency follow‑up will continue and that related agenda items may return for formal action if required.