Weed approves $1.58 million CAL FIRE grant for five-year fuel-mitigation project

The Weed City Council voted to authorize Mayor Parham or the city manager to execute a CAL FIRE fuel mitigation grant (Agreement 5TR23113) totaling $1,581,440 to reduce wildfire risk on lands around the city.

Fire staff said the grant covers treatment across the mapped mitigation area and described project costs and phases: machine thinning ($870,000); hand thinning, piling and burning ($300,000); herbicidal application to suppress regrowth ($200,000); an archaeological survey ($40,000) required before work begins; a SEQA exemption filing ($2,000); and indirect costs ($169,200). "This is a five year project," the chief said, adding staff hopes to complete work sooner if possible.

Council members asked whether the grant could be applied to privately owned, overgrown lots and whether permission would be required from owners; staff said the green-mapped areas are the priority and that, after those are addressed, remaining funds could be used on other city properties if owners grant permission. Staff also explained the grant can be advanced (up to 25%) subject to accounting requirements and that the city will primarily contract with specialized vendors to perform thinning and burning.

On a motion read into the record, the council approved Resolution 50-2024 authorizing execution of the CAL FIRE agreement.

The project timeline is five years with a stated goal to complete work in three years if weather and contractor capacity allow. Staff said they will proceed with required archaeological review and coordinate property-owner permissions before work on privately owned lots.