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Forest Management

Vegetation Management

Each year, thousands of acres of grasses, brush, and trees in the mountains are strategically chosen for vegetation “treatments."

These treatments may include removing dead or diseased trees, pruning limbs of trees, removing dead understory, thinning or removing some of the brush and trees, chipping or mulching brush and trees with large machinery and/or by hand, and burning piles of brush/trees or relatively small landscapes in carefully managed prescribed fires (planned fires). 

Conditions have to be just right for the use of prescribed fire in Southern California. This includes winds, humidity and a variety of other factors. The goals of the vegetation or "fuels" management projects are twofold—to protect communities from the threat of wildfires and to improve forest health conditions.  

Last updated April 27th, 2025