Reduce fire risk in tulare county and surrounding communities using standard fuel reduction techniques to mitigate fire danger

The Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management California Region awarded a $200,036.51 cooperative agreement to Tulare County Resource Conservation District on April 1, 2026, under the BLM Fuels Management and Community Fire Assistance Program (CFDA 15.228) to reduce fire risk in Tulare County through standard fuel reduction techniques.

The District will implement fuel load reduction activities including constructing shaded fuel breaks, vegetation removal, prescribed burns, and fire line establishment across Tulare County. The work aims to improve access points for firefighters and first responders in high-risk fire areas during emergency situations and to mitigate fire danger for residents and landowners. The performance period extends through December 31, 2030, with work conducted in Visalia, California.

Tulare County Resource Conservation District is a public resource-conservation entity and local government agency headquartered in Visalia. The District operates as a prime recipient with no sub-recipient activity and has received six federal awards since 2012 across the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Department of the Interior, the USDA Forest Service, and the USDA Rural Utilities Service, totaling $3.9 million in combined obligations.

Purpose

The purpose of this award is to reduce fire risk in tulare county and surrounding communities using standard fuel reduction techniques to mitigate fire danger.

Activities

Activities to be performed include fuel load reduction techniques such as constructing shaded fuel breaks, vegetation removal activities, prescribed burns and fire lines to reduce fuel loads. Expected deliverables or outcomes: expected outcomes and deliverables are to improve access points for fire fighters and first responders in high-risk fire areas in tulare county during emergency situations that may occur during a fire.

Intended beneficiaries

Intended beneficiaries include the residents, private and federal landowners, of tulare county preserving land and mitigating fire risk for recreational and sustainability purposes.