On November 18, 2018, ten days after the most destructive wildfire in California history killed 85 people and destroyed over 18,000 buildings, President Donald Trump sent the following tweet:
“Billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for Forest fires that, with proper Forest Management, would never happen. Unless they get their act together, which is unlikely, I have ordered FEMA to send no more money. It is a disgraceful situation in lives & money!”
California owns only 2% of forestland in the state, while the federal government owns, maintains and manages 60%. Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, of which Summit County is a part, is 52% federal public land. In Summit County itself, over 80% of land area is federally managed public land. Yet many federal forest management projects remain unfunded in Summit County and across Colorado due to cuts to the U.S. Forest Service budget over the past few decades.