In 2020, wildfires burned more thanThe SCU Lightning Complex fires burned nearly 400,000 acres of land across five Bay Area counties and destroyed more than 100 structures, and the LNU Lightning Complex Fire overtook 375,209 acres of land in the North Bay.
The Los Gatos Creek Watershed Collaborative was awarded $7.5 million in CAL FIRE forest health grant funding in 2021 to lower the risk of fast-spreading wildfires in the watershed’s 955 acres. To reduce that risk, the collaborative is working to manage the vegetation that grows in the watershed, like underbrush, non-native species and smaller trees. Some trees contracted diseases like sudden oak death, which dries out a tree and makes it quicker to burn and spread fire.“If there is a wildfire, we want to keep it lower to the ground, because the lower to the ground the flames are, the shorter the flame length of a fire, perhaps the slower the spread,” Schalet said.
In 2022, the collaborative focused on planning and creating a strong communication system for the various partners involved, and began clearing 45 acres of brush.The collaborative is made up of the Santa Clara FireSafe Council, San Jose Water, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and Santa Clara County Parks. This project marks the first time all the organizations have worked together.