SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is awarding $2 million to local
California Fire Safe Councils to reduce the increased risk of wildfires
due to massive tree mortality in Northern and Central California.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, tree mortality has reached more
than 29 million trees due to historic drought and bark beetle
infestations. The money will be used to protect communities from
wildfires in at least 18 high fire-risk counties by clearing brush and
dead, dying or diseased trees for the current fire season.
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“Nothing is more important to PG&E than public safety, and that is why
we are committed to working with the state, local agencies and
organizations to help keep communities safe. In the Sierra and
Stanislaus National Forests, tree mortality rates have surpassed 40 to
50 percent, and mortality is expanding into many parts of California.
This challenge is unlike any we’ve ever seen, which is why we’re taking
extraordinary steps to help to support our communities,” said Pat Hogan,
PG&E senior vice president of Electric Transmission and Distribution.
“Even recent rain will not revive the millions of dead trees across
California,” said CAL FIRE Unit Chief Glenn Barley, coordinator of the
state’s Tree Mortality Task Force. “While the Task Force looks at
continuing to provide support and assistance to the counties hit the
hardest by tree mortality, we need residents across the State to ensure
they are doing their part by removing dead trees and vegetation as part
of their 100 feet of Defensible Space around their homes."
This is the third consecutive year PG&E has partnered with local
California Fire Safe Councils to fund shovel-ready projects. The company
provided a total of $7.5 million in grants in 2014 and 2015. Current
fire season projects include fuel reduction, shaded fuel breaks,
emergency ingress and egress clearing and wood-chipping programs in
PG&E’s service area.
“As a leader in encouraging grassroots movements to make communities
more fire safe, the California Fire Safe Council thanks PG&E for funding
projects that will help ensure public safety for communities at risk of
wildfire. We are far from being out of the woods on tree mortality, and
value the collaboration and support in mobilizing Californians to
protect their homes, communities and environment from wildfire,” said
Jerry Davies, Chairman of the California Fire Safe Council.
“Wildfires have been devastating our rural communities for years, and
the increased risk due to drought and tree mortality will only escalate
this problem,” said John Viegas, Chair of the Rural County
Representatives of California (RCRC) and Glenn County Supervisor. “On
behalf of RCRC’s 35-member counties I applaud PG&E’s proactive efforts
to protect our communities, steward our resources, and protect
California’s precious watershed.”
PG&E is continuing to respond to the drought emergency and extreme fire
risk in a number of ways. The company has doubled the number of
vegetation patrols around its high-voltage power lines. It continues to
look for new ways to utilize advanced technology to better detect dead,
dying and diseased trees earlier in the cycle, and has removed an
additional 50,000 hazardous trees from near its electric facilities.
Customers can help prevent property damage, power outages and wildfires
by inspecting trees on their property. PG&E will remove dead, dying or
diseased trees near high-voltage power lines for free. Customers can
report a hazardous tree by calling PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. To learn
about how PG&E is working to improve service reliability and power line
safety click
here.
PG&E also is participating in the Governor’s
Task Force on Tree Mortality. The task force is made up of state and
federal agencies, local governments, utilities and various stakeholders
that are coordinating emergency protective actions and monitoring
ongoing conditions to address the vast tree mortality.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco,
with more than 23,000 employees, the company delivers some of the
nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and
Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/
and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.
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Source: Pacific Gas and Electric Company