On Friday September 1, the office of California Governor Jerry Brown announced that the Governor has signed an Executive Order related to tree mortality, LTOs and Tree Service Contractors. Essentially, the Executive Order will stop affected Tree Mortality Counties and Fire Safe Councils from requiring that an LTO must also have a C-61 or D-49 Contractors License(tree service) to perform tree mortality work. You can show this Executive Order to any county or other local officials who need the proof of this policy.
Associated California Loggers thanks Governor Brown for this action. Associated California Loggers and its Board of Directors contributed to the writing of this Executive Order, and ACL Executive Director Eric Carleson testified in support of it before the Governor’s Tree Mortality Task Force, the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the State Little Hoover Commission.
HERE IS THE PRESS RELEASE FROM THE TREE MORTALITY TASK FORCE, WITH A LINK TO THE NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER:
Governor Brown Issues Executive Order to Bolster State’s Response to Unprecedented Tree Die-Off
Good afternoon,
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today issued an Executive Order to further expedite the removal of millions of dead and dying trees across the state, which significantly worsen vulnerability to wildfires and present life safety risks to Californians living in rural, forested communities.
The order, which includes actions to streamline regulations for the safe removal of dead and dying trees, builds on the Governor’s 2015 state of emergency and the creation of the Tree Mortality Task Force, comprised of over 80 state and federal agencies, local and tribal governments and utilities.
The full text of the executive order can be found here: https://www.gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=19936
We’d like to thank members of the Tree Mortality Task Force for their continued work in identifying issues and solutions as this situation continues to impact communities throughout the state. We’d also like to thank members of the Legislature, who continue their commitment in support of these efforts, including Assembly Member Juan Arambula, Assembly Member Frank Bigelow, Assembly Member Brian Dahle, Assembly Member Mathis and Senator Tom Berryhill.
We look forward to partnering on future collaborations to ensure the successful implementation of our tree mortality response.
Chief Ken Pimlott, Director, CALFIRE
Mark Ghilarducci, Director, CalOES
Saul Gomez, Deputy Cabinet Secretary, Governor’s Office