California Forestry Revitalization Act
Reduce Wildfire Risk Through Active Forest Management—Using the Power of the People
🔥 California's Forest & Wildfire Crisis
🪓 Why Active Forest Management Matters
For a century, California suppressed all fires—even the natural, low-intensity burns that Indigenous peoples used for millennia. The result: forests choked with undergrowth, dead trees, and ladder fuels that turn any spark into a catastrophic crown fire.
The CFRA changes this by making it EASIER for landowners, agencies, and communities to:
- Remove slash (logging debris) and brush
- Conduct selective timber harvesting
- Create defensible space zones
- Perform prescribed burns safely
- Coordinate with federal land managers
Unmanaged Forest
Dense undergrowth, ladder fuels, dead trees = catastrophic crown fires
Managed Forest
Open understory, spaced trees, cleared fuels = low-intensity ground fires
📋 The Petition to Proposition Process
How California voters can mandate science-based forest management
Initiative Drafting & Official Title
The initiative is drafted and submitted to the California Attorney General for official title and summary. The AG has 65 days to prepare the ballot title and fiscal impact summary.
✓ Free Legal Review by State Lawyers
The State of California provides FREE legal review through the Attorney General's office. This includes constitutional analysis, title and summary preparation, and fiscal impact assessment by the Legislative Analyst's Office. No attorney fees required!
Collect 546,651 Valid Signatures
Once the AG issues the official title, we have 180 days to collect signatures from registered California voters equal to 5% of votes cast in the last gubernatorial election.
⚠️ Critical Deadline
To qualify for the November 2028 ballot, signatures must be submitted by late June 2028. Working backward: AG title by March 2027, signature collection April-October 2027.
County Verification & Certification
County election officials verify signatures. If valid signatures meet the threshold, the Secretary of State certifies the initiative for the ballot.
November 2028 General Election
California voters decide. If approved by a simple majority (50%+1), the California Forestry Revitalization Act becomes law.
💰 Campaign Cost Breakdown
Signature Collection
Professional petition circulators at $5-8 per valid signature. Targeting 700,000 signatures for safety margin.
Volunteer Coordination
Staff, training, materials, and logistics to coordinate volunteer signature gatherers across rural California.
Legal & Compliance
Campaign finance attorneys, election law compliance, environmental review defense.
Voter Education (Phase 1)
Initial awareness campaign during signature gathering: forestry tours, town halls, earned media.
General Election Campaign
TV/digital advertising, voter contact, GOTV operations for November 2028 ballot measure campaign.
Administrative
Campaign staff, office operations, reporting, and overhead throughout 2+ year campaign.
Total Campaign Budget
Qualification through General Election victory
⚙️ How the CFRA Works
Making forest stewardship easier, faster, and more effective
Streamlined Slash Removal
Cuts permitting time for slash (logging debris) removal from months to days. Creates "categorical exemptions" for routine fuel reduction on parcels under 100 acres.
- 15-day permit turnaround for small projects
- Pre-approved removal methods
- Liability protection for landowners
Selective Timber Harvest Zones
Designates "Forest Stewardship Zones" where selective harvest (not clear-cutting) is encouraged. Prioritizes fire-prone areas and communities in the WUI (Wildland-Urban Interface).
- CA-2 designated as pilot region
- Trinity, Shasta, Humboldt priority zones
- FSC certification required
Prescribed Burn Facilitation
Creates a "Right to Burn" framework for certified prescribed fire practitioners. Expands burn windows and provides liability protection modeled on Colorado's successful program.
- Certified Burn Manager program
- Smoke management flexibility
- Tribal cultural burning recognized
Federal-State Coordination
Creates binding agreements with USFS, BLM, and NPS for coordinated fuel management across ownership boundaries. "Good Neighbor Authority" expansion for California.
- Joint project planning
- Shared equipment and crews
- Cross-boundary fuel breaks
Mill Reactivation Program
Provides incentives and supply guarantees to reactivate closed sawmills. Creates local markets for removed biomass—turning fire hazards into jobs and lumber.
- 10-year supply contracts
- Tax incentives for mill investment
- Workforce training programs
Biomass Energy Credits
Slash and brush that can't become lumber can become renewable energy. Creates premium pricing for biomass from fire-risk reduction projects.
- Above-market biomass rates
- Priority grid connection
- Carbon-negative certification
🗺️ Priority Mapping
CAL FIRE required to maintain public maps of highest-priority treatment areas based on fire risk, community exposure, and ecological value.
💼 Local Hire Requirements
State-funded projects must prioritize local workforce. Creates career pathways from fire crews to forest management professionals.
🪶 Tribal Partnership
Formal consultation with tribal governments. Cultural burning recognized as legitimate land management with dedicated funding.
📊 Annual Reporting
Transparent tracking of acres treated, jobs created, fires prevented. Public dashboard for accountability.
🏠 WUI Buffer Mandate
Requires 100-foot defensible space zones around all communities in High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
💰 Dedicated Funding
Portion of timber harvest revenues dedicated to ongoing treatment. Self-sustaining program after initial investment.
🇺🇸 Federal Coordination: State + Federal Working Together
The CFRA works hand-in-hand with federal legislation from "An Honest Economy for All" for comprehensive forest and fire management.
American Forest Resilience & Timber Economy Act
Federal bill designating CA-2 as a "Forestry Resilience Zone" with expedited NEPA review, Good Neighbor Authority expansion, and mill reactivation incentives. Creates federal-state partnership framework.
Federal Wildfire Insurance Stabilization Act
Creates an "FDIC-style" federal reinsurance backstop for states with wildfire insurance crises. Links insurance availability to community fire-hardening and forest management.
National Climate Resilience & Fire Safety Reinsurance Act
Establishes nationwide catastrophe reinsurance program. States that implement proactive forest management (like CFRA) get preferential access to federal reinsurance capacity.
State Sovereignty & Adaptive Resilience Act
Ensures federal programs respect state decision-making. California designs its forest management approach; feds provide matching funds and resources without mandates.
🚒 Federal Fire Support Corps: Help When You Need It
A key component of the federal legislation: the Federal Fire Support Corps. NOT a federal takeover—a support force that comes only when communities REQUEST help.
Supportive Role Only
Local fire chiefs remain in command. Federal crews take direction from local incident commanders.
Request-Based Response
Communities must REQUEST federal support. No federal crews show up uninvited or take over operations.
Trained Crews
Year-round professional firefighters for surge capacity. Available for suppression AND prevention work.
Equipment Access
Heavy equipment, helicopters, and specialized resources available to any community that needs them.
Why "Supportive, Not Leadership"?
Rural communities rightfully distrust federal overreach. The Federal Fire Support Corps is designed to HELP local fire departments—not replace them. Think of it like the National Guard: available when called, under local direction, and gone when the job is done.
🤝 Potential Campaign Supporters
Organizations and individuals with aligned interests who may support forest management reform
🌲 Timber & Forestry Industry
- California Forestry Association
- Forest Landowners of California
- Sierra Pacific Industries
- Humboldt Redwood Company
- Small timber operators associations
🏠 Homeowner & Property Groups
- California Association of Realtors
- Fire Safe Councils (statewide)
- Firewise USA communities
- HOAs in WUI areas
- Rural property owner associations
🏢 Insurance Industry
- Personal Insurance Federation of California
- American Property Casualty Insurance Association
- Reinsurance companies
- Risk modeling firms
⚡ Energy & Utilities
- PG&E (vegetation management)
- Biomass energy producers
- Rural electric cooperatives
- Propane associations
🪶 Tribal Nations
- California tribal governments
- Inter-Tribal Council of California
- Cultural burning advocacy groups
- Tribal forestry programs
🏛️ Local Government
- Rural County Representatives of California
- California State Association of Counties
- Fire districts and fire chiefs associations
- Rural school districts
💼 Labor & Workforce
- Laborers' International Union (forestry crews)
- Operating Engineers
- California Professional Firefighters
- Forestry workforce training programs
🌿 Conservation (Pro-Management)
- The Nature Conservancy (fire program)
- National Wild Turkey Federation
- Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
- California Deer Association
- Sustainable forestry NGOs
🌲 Californians Can Fix Our Forests
Sacramento has failed for decades. Federal agencies are gridlocked. But YOU can bypass them both through the ballot initiative process—and mandate the science-based forest management our communities need.
Submitted by Gregory Burgess
No Party Preference Candidate, California's 2nd Congressional District