62,000 Dead Trees Cleared Before Fire Season

State and federal agencies spent much of their fire-prevention efforts this winter clearing dead trees.

The U.S. Forest Service says those agencies cleared about 62,000 trees in the state and worked with landowners to select the trees that should be removed first.

Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott says 29 million trees in California died last year.

"This is a wake up call for all of us collectively on all lands to be engaged in actively managing," he said, "You know, thinning, not only to reduce the fire hazard,  but, also as you said, to increase forest health so the trees that are still out there are healthy and less susceptible to insect, disease and other pathogens."

Pimlott says a task force of 100 agencies is working to identify the best ways to manage forest land in the state.

The agency kicked off the 2016 fire season today with "Wildfire Awareness Week" at McClellan Park in Sacramento.