20-05-2025
East Bay parks to spend $10.9M reducing fire fuels
(KRON) — More than 600 acres of land within East Bay parks will be cleared of dead trees and hazardous vegetation over the next three years, the East Bay Regional Park District announced Monday. The district said it will spend $10.9 million on the project.
The fire fuel reduction efforts will be conducted at Tilden, Anthony Chabot and Wildcat Canyon Regional Parks, Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve, and Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline.
The newly announced three-year project will be in addition to ongoing fuels reduction work districtwide, according to EBRPD.
'In 2024, the Park District's fuels reduction crew removed hazardous fire fuels on 104 acres in 11 parks,' the district said. 'Additionally, more than 86,800 acres of parkland are grazed annually by cattle, sheep, or goats.'
The $10.9 million will come from a mix of grants and matching funds. District officials said grants will cover $8.3 million, with funds coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the California State Coastal Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service. The other $2.6 million comes from EBRPD matching funds.
'For large scale vegetation management projects, the Park District utilizes a climate-friendly carbonizer to dispose of vegetation,' officials said. 'The carbonizer burns organic matter at 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit with little oxygen, which produces very low emissions—especially compared to conventional disposal methods such as open pile burning or transporting debris long distances in diesel trucks.'
The burned matter is then used across parks to enhance soil health and improve water retention. At Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont, the matter can be used to increase crop productivity, according to officials.
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