Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has awarded Lassen County Fire Safe Council, Inc. (LCFSC) $141,388 to fund fuel treatments under its Vegetation Management Emergency Drought Response Program. $100,000 is being put to work in the Day Lassen Bench Project and is being used to reduce hazardous fuel loads through mastication treatments along the Day Road corridor. In addition, $41,388 is funding follow up activities to 2015 PG&E funded mastication fuel treatments within the community of Little Valley, including a 6.4 mile powerline corridor.

The Day Lassen Bench Project is focusing on three critical community needs that were identified after the 2014 Day Fire threatened the community: 1. Reducing hazardous fuel loads along the Day Road corridor, which will provide safer evacuation routes; 2. Reducing hazardous fuel loads in power line corridors, which protects critical community infrastructure, and; 3. Maintaining and expanding fuel breaks that protect the community where it bumps up against wildlands. A total of 146 acres will be treated in PG&E’s service area in Lassen and Shasta counties within the Day Lassen Bench community. LCFSC is partnering with the Day Lassen Bench Fire Safe Council to implement the project and they are actively seeking additional funds to expand and complete the project.

Last year PG&E provided LCFSC with funds to reduce hazardous fuel loads through mastication treatments within and along a 6.4 mile powerline corridor that serves the community of Little Valley. This year’s project is treating post mastication emergent brush which will help sustain and fortify the previous treatment work in the years ahead. In addition, several residences are being assisted with the removal of brush and hazard trees in an effort to reduce their wildfire risk and protect electrical infrastructure.

“Once again we are grateful for the tremendous boost PG&E is providing to our efforts to reduce fire risk in local communities”, said Lloyd Keefer, LCFSC Chair. “We are putting these funds to work immediately and all the PG&E funded treatments will be completed by July 31, 2016.”

“The safety of the communities we serve is the top priority for PG&E and we are once again committed to support local wildfire prevention efforts in Lassen and Shasta counties. This collaboration among PG&E, CAL FIRE and the Lassen County Fire Safe Council will help the communities we serve prevent and prepare for wildfires,” said Lia White, senior manager of PG&E’s North Valley division.