Three Rivers Creating a Wildfire Resistant and Resilient Community

The Three Rivers Creating a Wildfire Resistant and Resilient Community Project (project) is a strategic, community-driven initiative designed to reduce wildfire risk and enhance public safety in and around the community of Three Rivers, Tulare County, California. This project directly supports the implementation of the Three Rivers Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), completed in fall 2022, which identified the urgent need for fuel management on both public and private lands within the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The project aligns with the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and advances the goal of developing Fire Adapted Communities (FAC). It was collaboratively developed with input from CAL FIRE’s Three Rivers Unit, Tulare County Fire, the Tulare County Resource Conservation District, the National Park Service, and numerous local residents and business owners. The primary purpose of the project is to reduce hazardous fuels near the community’s boundaries, thereby protecting lives, homes, critical infrastructure, and natural resources. The project builds upon the community’s successful Stage One efforts—focused on defensible space and home hardening education—and now moves into Stage Two—the creation of a strategic fuel break around the most densely populated and high-value areas of Three Rivers, including the Cherokee Oaks Subdivision and the Heidi Road and Old Three Rivers Road residential zones. The beneficiaries of the project include the residents, property owners, and business operators of Three Rivers, as well as critical infrastructure such as water storage systems, Southern California Edison (SCE) powerlines and repeaters, and the Three Rivers Community Cemetery. By reducing wildfire risk and enhancing community resilience, the project would protect not only physical assets but also the safety, well-being, and long-term sustainability of the Three Rivers community.