Supervisors seek amendments to AB 2494 to preserve research flexibility on demonstration forests

County staff and local forest experts told the Board of Supervisors that the current draft of AB 2494, while intending to strengthen wildfire and resilience goals, risks narrowing what qualifies as permissible 'management' and therefore could limit the range of research and demonstrations performed on California's demonstration state forests.

Dr. Jones, the county's UCCE forester, said demonstration forests play an outsized role relative to their acreage in testing sustainable management practices and that a narrow statutory definition could hinder adaptive research. "Defining a very narrow definition of management kinda has the potential to eliminate your ability to adaptive management, adaptive research," Dr. Jones said. He and others noted demonstrations can and should include a range of practices—including timber management where appropriate—to inform resilience strategies.

Melody Meyer of the Environmental Protection Information Center, who said her organization sponsors AB 2494, pushed back on the claim that research would be removed. "The bill does not take away research as a stated purpose of these forests," she said, and urged ongoing collaboration to ensure the bill explicitly supports research and aligns with task‑force recommendations.

Board members and local stakeholders asked staff to work with the Assembly member's office and regional partners (including CSAC and RCRC) to identify amendments that explicitly allow a balanced, science-driven approach consistent with the Governor's task force. The board instructed staff to send a letter expressing concern and requesting amendments to align AB 2494 with the state task force's strategies for wildfire and forest resilience.

What happens next: staff will submit a letter that calls for amendments and will continue outreach to the author's office and stakeholders as the bill moves through the legislative process.