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Experts tell supervisors AB2494 has been amended but still risks wildfire resilience in Lake County’s demonstration forest
Summary
County legislative consultant Jeff Neal said AB2494 has been amended to broaden the stated public benefits for state demonstration forests, but the county remains concerned that research objectives could be narrowed and funding may be insufficient to support wildfire resilience.
Jeff Neal of Nielsen Merksemer briefed the board that AB2494 would change how the State Demonstration Forest Program is defined and managed, and said the bill originally risked undermining wildfire resilience and practical forest management in Lake County.
Neal said amendments improved the bill by listing multiple public benefits — including wildfire resilience, research, biodiversity, climate resilience and recreation — but cautioned that the bill still contains provisions that could narrow research objectives and might not provide sufficient funding. He said stakeholders including RCRC and farm bureaus are continuing work with the author’s office and that the bill is currently in the second house and pending the Appropriations Committee’s review in roughly three weeks.
Supervisor Paiske pressed for language aligning the bill with wildfire task-force strategies; Neal said the current text does not preclude implementing those recommendations but also does not require prioritizing wildfire resilience.
