On Nov. 20, U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) secured $3.6 million in federal funds to assist Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo to remove an estimated 2,688 dead or dying trees at Swanton Pacific Ranch in Santa Cruz County damaged by the 2020 CZU wildfire.
The 3,200-acre Swanton Pacific Ranch is a Cal Poly educational and research facility providing graduate students and undergraduates opportunities to study sustainable land management practices in the forest, rangeland, and watershed ecosystems.
The lightning fires damaged or destroyed most of the structures at Swanton Pacific Ranch. While Cal Poly has continued to use the ranch for student and faculty learning and research, several thousand trees were identified as dead or dying and hazardous and in need of removal.
Panetta kept the pressure on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to deliver federal funding after years of delay.
“Our community continues to recover from the devastating CZU Lightning Complex fires which destroyed lives, livelihood, and thousands of acres of California wilderness,” said Panetta. “This federal funding will support Cal Poly’s stewardship of the Swanton Pacific Ranch, its land, and its critical role as a local hub for research and education. I am continuing to keep the pressure on the federal government to provide the resources our community needs to fully recover, rebuild, and return to a sense of normalcy following devastating fires and floods.”
Interim Dean Bill Hendricks said: “Safety is our first priority and the financial support to remove hazardous trees from Swanton Pacific Ranch has allowed crucial learning and research to continue at Swanton Pacific Ranch by Cal Poly students, faculty and staff. We have worked with FEMA for the last four years seeking public assistance to recover from the devastating CZU Lightning Complex fires in 2020 and are grateful for the support as we work to re-envision and rebuild the incredible learning facilities there.”