Healthy forests help protect your home, your community, and your California.
Healthy forests act as natural fire barriers. CAL FIRE and its partners help reduce wildfire risk by managing excess vegetation and restoring balance to fire-adapted landscapes.
Join us in our mission to reduce the risk of wildfires in California. Your participation matters to secure your property, forests, and communities.
California’s forests are under stress. Decades of fire suppression, longer droughts, and excess vegetation have created conditions where wildfires can burn hotter, spread faster, and threaten nearby communities. Many forests evolved with frequent, low-intensity fire. Without it, wildfire risk increases.
CAL FIRE uses prescribed fire, also known as controlled burning, to reduce excess vegetation and restore balance to fire-adapted landscapes. This proven approach helps make future wildfires easier to control. We’re fighting fire with fire.
Healthy forests support clean air, clean water, and wildlife habitat. When forests burn more naturally and less intensely, firefighters have safer conditions to work in, fires are less likely to spread rapidly toward homes, and communities have more time to respond and recover. Healthy forests play a critical role in California’s overall wildfire resilience.
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Plan ahead with firePLANNER 
firePLANNER is CAL FIRE’s interactive tool designed to help people prepare for wildfire. Whether you rent, own a home, or have pets, firePLANNER provides guidance to help you understand wildfire risk and take steps to stay safe.
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View Current Emergency Incidents 
Use this interactive tool to see all current emergency incidents in California, including all 10+ acre wildfires, and stay up to date on the latest emergency information.
See active fires near youHealthy forests play an important role in protecting communities and supporting California’s landscapes. Watch now to learn how wildfires impact our air quality and why forest health is crucial.