California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force
The California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force was established by Governor Gavin Newsom to tackle one of the state’s most urgent challenges: reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire while restoring the health of California’s forests and wildlands. The Task Force unites federal, state, tribal, local, and private partners to coordinate strategies, share science and data, and guide funding toward projects that protect both people and ecosystems. By working across traditional boundaries, the Task Force aims to create long-term, landscape-scale solutions that strengthen resilience in the face of a changing climate.

Leadership of the Task Force is provided by a diverse Executive Committee. Members include Wade Crowfoot (Secretary, California Natural Resources Agency), Joe Tyler (CAL FIRE), Yana Garcia (CalEPA), Sam Assefa (Office of Planning and Research), and Jennifer Eberlien (U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region). They are joined by Richard Barhydt (USFS Research Station), Ed Valenzuela (California State Association of Counties), Doug Teeter (Rural Counties Representatives of California), and Don Hankins (Indigenous Stewardship Network). Together, this group guides a collaborative effort that integrates science, traditional ecological knowledge, and local priorities into a statewide strategy for wildfire and forest resilience.

Check out the Taskforce here!

On September 4th,  2025, the taskforce held its taskforce meeting in the Inland Empire! The meeting went over wildfire prevention efforts in the region, past, present, and future, focusing on National and State parks. Presentations by the executive committe and local leaders were the highlight of the event, with intriguing discussion on how we can partner and work on wildfire prevention in the region.

A recap of this meeting can be found here. 

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